Word of Honor
by Uncommon Guru
Summary: People are not always honorable. Many discard promises at a whim. A perfect promise would be absolute, unbreakable. For Uzumaki Naruto, this is his bane; bound to keep his promises, no matter the cost. Chewie Cookies #2 Challenge. Main Pair - NaruHina
1. The First Promise

My first story! It's almost a shame I took a challenge to start with, but then only one other person had accepted said challenge, and it gave me too many ideas! And now, I get to try out! I hope you all enjoy this.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto…heck I don't even own the idea for this story. That goes to Chewie Cookies. Uh, well then…please don't sue?**

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Word of Honor

_Chapter 1: The First Promise_

Konohagakure no Sato (the Village Hidden in the Leaves) was enjoying one of it's quiet days. For some, this wouldn't do, as they took off and began training vigorously. Others found it quite enjoyable, though admittedly two were wishing that their third companion would stop yelling at them about how they needed to get off their lazy butts and train.

For the gate guards, Izumo and Kotetsu, they fell more into the second category; especially considering they really had nothing better to do at the gate, and it was a slow day. They knew how to entertain themselves better than most other people in the village, and as such, were rather creative in their games. Usually this involved adding a few other rules that used some shinobi skill or another. Today's game was I Spy.

"I spy something...grey." Kotetsu said.

"The pole?" Izumo said, not looking up from some papers that he'd spread out in front of himself.

Kotetsu gave him a flat stare. "...yeah. How do you do that without looking?"

Izumo shrugged. "I know how you think. Now, my turn. I spy something..." He glanced up, looking from side to side before looking back at Kotetsu with a smirk. "Orange."

Kotetsu blinked in confusion. "Orange?" Looking around wildly, he could see nothing in the nearby village that was orange, or remotely similar to that color. Turning back to Izumo, he narrowed his eyes. "Are you spying something out of the hundred and fifty yard range again? 'Cause you know that's cheating."

Izumo shook his head. "Nope. In fact, it's actually getting closer."

"Closer?"

Realization dawned on him as he looked down the path leading away from Konoha. There, like a bright speck against the green foliage, were four people. And one of them was wearing bright orange.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Kotetsu said, a feeling of nostalgia coming over him as Naruto approached.

Izumo shook his head. "Nope."

Kotetsu stared at the group for another moment before what his fellow guard said finally seemed to sink in. Whirling around on his fellow gate guard, he glared as he slowly asked, "What do you mean, 'no'? He's right there!"

"Yes, but Naruto is not orange. I was spying his jumpsuit." Izumo said with a rather sage-like nod.

There was a short pause as Kotetsu and Izumo stared each other down. Kotetsu eventually broke the stare down, scowling at his friend. "You suck."

Not wanting to talk to his cheating friend for the moment, he turned his attention to the four approaching shinobi. Just from their appearance, he knew that there was one jonin, and three genin; a sensei and his team. The jonin had gravity defying grey hair, his village headband covering his left eye, and a jonin vest. The headband was a clear indicator of the person's identity; Sharingan no Hatake Kakashi. His charges were dressed in a far more eye catching clothing.

The first one to catch his eye was dressed in a short sleeved blue shirt, white pants, and had hair that arched back with large bangs framing his face. He knew at a glance that this was Uchiha Sasuke, the 'Last Uchiha' of Konoha. Despite having been away from the village for nearly four months, there wasn't much that seemed to have changed about him. If he stared hard enough though, Kotetsu swore he saw a near invisible smile on his face as he approached his home.

The female of the team, Haruno Sakura, was the second most visible of the group. Unlike Sasuke and Kakashi, she wore a red dress with white trimmings, her bright pink hair standing out more so than the others due to its uncommonness. From what Kotetsu could tell, she was animatedly attempting to talk to Sasuke, without much success.

The final, and by far most visible, member of the team was dressed in an orange jumpsuit, with bright blond hair, and even brighter smile. The village's notorious prankster and 'most unpredictable shinobi', Uzumaki Naruto. He looked the most ecstatic to be back and kept running towards the village and then back to the team shouting something about ramen. It brought a smile to both Izumo's and Kotetsu's faces.

"Come on you guys, I can see the gates from here! Sweet glorious ramen, here I come!" Naruto shouted as he ran forward.

"Mah Naruto, wait for us." Kakashi said in a halfhearted, lazy way.

Naruto ignored his sensei, instead speeding faster towards the gates. Sliding on the soles of his sandals, he turned on his heels and began bouncing on his toes as he watched his team meander the last couple of yards to catch up. They spent a moment at the guard post, affirming their identity and checking back into the village. Within moments, they were headed into the village.

Izumo sighed as he watched them leave. "Well, that was a nice bit of excitement for the day."

Kotetsu nodded. Then, a small grin crossed his face. "I spy something orange."

"Kakashi's book."

"…you're no fun."

With our 'bright' team, Kakashi was looking to the Hokage's Tower with a far off look in his eye. Their mission had turn into something akin to a disaster, and due to the nature of events that had taken place, he actually had to have a discussion with the Sandaime. Wanting to have the discussion in private, he made a motion to get his teams attention. "You guys look really tired. Why don't you all head home? I'll handle the debriefing."

All three genin turned to their sensei with a bewildered look in their eyes. Normally, for their usual D-ranked missions, they would enter the Hokage's Tower together, and present their mission report in the same manner. It was meant to develop their abilities to report when they later became chunin and jonin. For Kakashi to do this was to break protocol.

Of course, none of them were going to pass up an opportunity to go home early. "Thanks Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled as he all but dragged his two teammates after him. Personally, he wasn't tired at all; he probably would have been able to keep going for another couple of hours of tree hopping before really feeling exhaustion overcome him. He was just in a hurry to find Iruka and tell him about how kickass he was on the mission.

After going nearly two blocks, his teammates finally broke his grip on them. The second he released them, Sakura moved to past him to Sasuke's side. Sidling as close as she could get, Sakura put on the cutest looks she could as she spoke. "Sasuke-kun, you want to go get something to eat. You know, to celebrate our completed mission? We can leave Naruto-baka, since I know he annoys you."

Sasuke gave her a slight glare, though there wasn't really any effort put into it. "No Sakura, I don't want to go get anything with you."

Sakura sighed, already knowing that Sasuke would say that. He'd always said that when she'd asked him out, no matter how covertly she attempted to ask. And soon to follow-

"Sakura-chan, if you want, I'll go get lunch with you."

-was Naruto's dimwitted attempt to ask her out.

This time though, Sakura was tired. Unlike Naruto and Sasuke, she didn't have the stamina to do all of the things they were capable of doing; like tree hopping for hours on end. Plus, she hadn't yet dealt with the stress of their C-ranked mission turned A-ranked in difficulty, not to mention the missing-nin that they had stared down and barely survived encountering _twice_. Not only that, but they had spent the last couple of days _straight_ traveling from Nami no Kuni (Land of Waves) to Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire), which meant that she hadn't been able to clean herself as thoroughly as she wanted, and she wanted nothing more than to relax in a tub for a few hours. After a date with Sasuke of course.

But no, she had to deal with getting rejected by _her_ Sasuke-kun again, and Naruto's bumbling almost the moment she arrived home. Knowing that Naruto would push try and push the matter did nothing more than make him a larger target for her recent anger. So, without a second though or any preamble, she finally snapped.

"No Naruto, I don't want to have lunch with you!" Sakura shouted, feeling the stress of the entire journey pouring out of her onto Naruto. It felt good to shout at someone; she personally didn't see why others didn't do it as often. "In fact, I want you to stop asking. I'm tired of you asking me out on dates, I'm tired of you provoking Sasuke-kun and more importantly I'm tired of you! So just stop it, okay?"

Due to their place in the village, their conversation had attracted the attention of a small group of civilians. Even Sasuke seemed to have taken an interest in the conversation, if only because he wanted to see how Naruto would react. Sakura usually either reprimanded Naruto verbally, or went straight to punching Naruto in the face. To see her reacting so harshly to something as stupid as asking her out seemed a little out of place; which meant that Naruto's reaction should be quite interesting to see.

For his part, Naruto stood pretty firm, not budging as Sakura yelled at him. Internally though, he was panicking. _'Aw man, Sakura's gonna hit me. What did I do? Whoa, she's turning red. I better say something.'_

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan." Naruto said, looking at his feet. He really hoped that Sakura didn't keep yelling at him; he really didn't know how to respond to her right now, and it unnerved him more than a little bit.

Sakura shook her head, sighing lightly. "I'll forgive you Naruto." As soon as the words left her mouth, she got a devious idea. "Just promise me that you won't ask me out on a date anymore and we'll be fine."  
Naruto's head snapped up, his eyes wide in shock. "What?"

Sakura smirked, crossing her arms as she spoke with a more bossy tone. "You heard me Naruto. Promise me that you won't ask me out anymore, or I won't let this go."

Naruto flinched as he heard this. Of all the things to ask him, why did it have to come to this? It wasn't that he wouldn't agree –he didn't want to be on bad terms with Sakura for anything- it was that it would tear him apart to make that promise. It was worse since he'd be saying them to his crush, Haruno Sakura.

It was no secret that he had a crush on her; he'd been trying to ask her out since the last year of the Academy after all. It wasn't really like he expected it to go anywhere serious, like boyfriend-girlfriend or something like that, he just wanted to interact with someone who would actually respond to him. Granted, her version of response was punching him in the face after yelling at him, but it was interaction nothing the less.

It was even worse since the only way he knew to interact with girls was dating. He knew that dating was supposed to be 'intimate', but from what he'd seen of guys and girls interacting together dating seemed to be the only common trend to form friendship between guys and girls. With guys it was easier; train and beat the crap out of each other, and something will eventually pop up later that they could do. Guys seemed to have more in common with each other than with girls.

Giving Sakura one last desperate look, Naruto finally began to reply, "Sakura-chan…"

"Promise me. Promise me that you won't ask me out again." Sakura said, this time obviously demanding.

Naruto winced at her tone, knowing what it meant for him. She (and pretty much everyone else) knew how much promises meant to him, and that he would do everything he could to keep said promise. Plus he'd only heard her talk like that a few times before, but even he was not so thick skulled to miss the threat of pain that would come if he didn't do as she asked. Not to say that he actually planned on keeping that promise completely; if the opportunity arose, he would ask her out in a heartbeat. He just had to figure out how to say it so it didn't sound like he was 'asking her out'. Finally giving in and resigning to his fate, he quietly muttered, "I promise."

Sakura gave his face a scrutinizing once over, before nodding to herself. "Good. I'm going to hold you to that promise, you got it? No more asking me out!"

Naruto nodded, feeling a knot form in his gut. As she said the word 'promise', he noticed a small tremor run down his spine. It was different from the chill of cold, or goose bumps he'd get whenever he was about to be caught after pulling a prank. His chest tightened, and his breath was momentarily caught in his throat. As the feeling finally began to fade away, Naruto realized that Sakura was walking away, chasing once again after Sasuke who had left when he'd gotten bored of the conversation.

Naruto scratched the back of his head. Somehow, he felt that he'd stumbled into something that was bound to be painful.

**-xxxxx-**

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Several Days Later

Naruto stared into the empty space where he figured Kakashi was bound to show up. It had become a game of his to guess where Kakashi would show up from. So far, he had yet to be right, but he was certain that Kakashi would show up from the side of the bridge with arches this time. It was amazing how consistent Kakashi was at being late, seeing as he was nearly three hours late _again_, and it was grinding on everyone's nerves.

Well, Naruto's and Sakura's nerves. Naruto couldn't really tell if Sasuke was affected by his tardiness or not. He'd never seen Sasuke so much as twitch when it came to Kakashi's habits. In fact, only Naruto and Sakura seemed to react whenever Kakashi showed up. Funny that.

'_He should be here any second now.'_ Naruto thought with a smirk, rubbing his hands together. He had him this time; he couldn't be wrong every single time that Kakashi showed up, right?

"Yo!"

Naruto's smirk faded rapidly as it shifted to an expression of disbelief and amazement. _'No way! He came that way yesterday! How…no, he's not doing that just to mess with me. That would be silly…right?'_

Sakura was less distracted by her thoughts. "You're late!"

Kakashi's eye shifted to its usual up turned U-shape, indicating a smile as he explained his tardiness. "Sorry I'm late. I met the most intriguingly beautiful woman, and decided to stalk her, since she seemed too good to be true. Turns out, she was just your average ordinary kunochi, though she did have some very…unusual interests."

"Liar!"

Kakashi had to force back a pout. _'Aw, I wasn't done yet. I was going to tell them how I trapped her under a box after luring her with bait. Ah the intoxicating power of dango. Thinking of which, I should probably get back to her soon.'_

"Well, since you're here, I guess I can tell you all that the Sandaime gave us all the day off, and said to enjoy yourselves! See ya!" Kakashi said quickly, disappearing in a puff of smoke to who knows where, before Sakura could yell at him about how he'd made them wait for three hours to tell them that. He knew that they'd be mad at him at their next meeting, but the look on their face though was well worth it. Plus, it wasn't like Sakura could actually do anything to him. _'Anko on the other hand is another story. Hopefully she won't try and kill me this time.'_

Back with the genin, while Naruto and Sakura's minds tried to catch up with what Kakashi had said, Sasuke had already begun leaving. Noticing Sasuke's departure, Sakura called after him. "Sasuke-kun, how about we work on our teamwork…just the two of us?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, not even bothering to answer her question. Catching the hint, Sakura slumped despondently.

Naruto had flinched at the way Sakura had worded her question, but brightened as he caught the change in her attitude immediately. Jogging next to her, he grinned widely in his well known, wide, toothy smile. "Hey Sakura-chan!"

Sakura flinched at his tone, knowing what he intended to ask. Not bothering to change her demeanor as his question definitely wouldn't make her feel any better, she gave Naruto a half lidded glare. "What do you want Naruto?"

Naruto opened his mouth excitedly, thinking for a moment that he had a shot to go on a date with Sakura. Then, the strangest thing happened. Instead of saying anything, his throat closed up.

Naruto made a kind of gagging noise, trying in vain to get his question out. There was a slight burning sensation in the back of his mouth the harder he tried. Noticing Sakura's confused look, he tried one last time. With no words coming out, he finally gave up. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he bit his lip before trying to say something else. "Never mind Sakura-chan."

Sakura watched Naruto's face morphed through a variety of emotions. First excitement, then confusion, then subdued, then back to confused. Brushing it off as Naruto being weird, she ignored him as she walked away.

Naruto followed Sakura's departure with an unfocused look. His normally unfocused, and scattered thoughts suddenly had something to think about. To him, it was an innocent question, but he'd been unable to ask it. He remembered the promise he'd made to Sakura a few days before, but it seemed ridiculous to think that was what had stopped him from asking her out on a date. He hadn't made any promises that he'd been able to break.

'_Or did I?'_ Naruto thought, grabbing his head as he became more and more frustrated. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts for the time being, he finally came to a decision. He'd head over to the Academy, talk to Iruka, and get some answers.

Taking a step forward, he paused as his stomach growled loudly. "Okay…Ichiraku for some ramen, then to Iruka-sensei!" He shouted, completely reversing direction as he made his way to his favorite food establishment.

**-xxxxx-**

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Shinobi no Kami (God of Shinobi), stared down at his desk with a happy sigh. Leaning back into his chair, he pulled out a little orange book and slowly read through the 'literature' that his student had written. The reason for this reprieve was quite simple; the daimyo had declared today a national holiday years ago when he'd retired. Since he'd come back into service, it was a day where no one would dare bother him with such things as paperwork unless they had some kind of death wish.

Taking a long drag on his pipe, he felt the tension of his job ebb away. For the first time in several months, his body was at ease with the world around him. His mind on the other hand, was far from relaxed as it raced through thoughts of his village, recent missions, and Uzumaki Naruto.

After the recent mission, he'd had a long discussion with Kakashi. Or rather, he'd listened as Kakashi had gone over how the mission could have potentially gone worse and how they had needed backup. It had actually taken nearly a half hour before he could get Kakashi to stop listing other, not relevant things that could have gone wrong. He eventually got to explain how he couldn't risk sending another genin team, the only team available being team 8 at the time, especially due to the hunter-nin's presence. While it was obviously that the hunter-nin was just acting, they just couldn't risk the chance of that being true. Especially since team 8 had three clan heirs with techniques that other ninja would love to have. While Kirigakure no Sato (Village Hidden in the Mist) may have had a recent bloodline purge, Kumogakure no Sato (Village Hidden in the Clouds) would pay handsomely for the Byakugan, which would be a bad thing for all party's. That one mission could have started the Fourth Great Shinobi War.

While this was more than enough to satisfy Kakashi for the time being, Kakashi's next subject was what was eating at him at the moment. He believed that Naruto was more than ready to hear about his family. His reasoning was sound, especially if he told Naruto that people like Zabuza would be hunting him if he accidentally said the wrong thing to the wrong person. All that was well and good, but he was unable to bring himself to tell him.

The reasoning behind it was simple enough; he was nervous about how Naruto would react. He knew from personal experience that those who were related to the Hokage's generally had a different take on life, and usually acted out more than others. Before Naruto had come around, his grandson Konohamaru would do whatever he felt like in an attempt to get people to respect him for him; including 'assassination' attempts on himself. Tsunade, despite being the granddaughter of the Shodaime Hokage and one of the powerful Legendary Sannin, had left the village and was gallivanting about gambling her life away.

His son though, would be a far better example of what he expected of Naruto. Sarutobi Asuma had been a smart kid growing up. He'd graduated Rookie of the Year, he'd shown great progression as a genin, and his only real weakness was his wild streak that was a mile long. This lead to the two of them butting heads on more than one occasion and shortly after he'd become chunin he'd left the village and went off to join the daimyo's personal guard, the Twelve Guardians.

For Naruto, he couldn't risk it. Naruto wasn't just a shinobi, he was the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. If Naruto got into a disagreement with him and left the village, there was little he knew he could do to quell the madness that would come from the news. He had the power, but no one could control chaos of that magnitude on their own for long.

Rubbing his temples with a heavy sigh, he shook his head. He knew he'd have to tell Naruto about his lineage eventually. Just not yet. After his first Chunin Exams were over, he'd tell him regardless of whether or not he actually reached the rank. He just hoped that Naruto proved himself strong enough to survive the tests.

**-xxxxx-**

Naruto jogged down the road towards his favorite eating establishment. His stomach was empty, he had the whole day to do whatever he wanted, and planned to enjoy himself as much as possible. However, there was just one problem with that; he had too much on his mind.

If anyone who knew him heard that he had too much on his mind, they'd probably laugh at him. After all, he was the 'dead last' of his class and obviously couldn't take a moment to think. That couldn't be further from the truth. Naruto did think, in fact he actually thought a lot. The only problem was that his thoughts went by faster than he could catch them, and usually wound up being either bored or confused.

Right now, he was definitely confused. He'd just recently left his team meeting and stumbled across something strange; he'd promised Sakura that he wouldn't ask her out and then when he tried to get around it by saying it different, he couldn't say it. He'd never had anything like this happen to him before, and despite his current grin he'd been terrified.

It was his greatest kept secret; his fear of the unknown. It was why he really didn't like ghosts; no one could explain how or why they were there, just that they were there. What had happened to him wasn't something he'd ever heard of, or heard anyone else talk about which made it unknown. And it scared him.

As such, he was headed to food first, and then to the visit the one person he figured would be help him; Umino Iruka. He'd figured out who he planned on seeing as he made his way to Ichiraku; oddly coming to the conclusion to ask Iruka due to the fact that he knew they both ate their, and he'd answered a few of his previous questions there. While he'd been a prankster during his time at the Academy, Iruka had done what he could to answer any questions he'd had. And since he'd done what he could to make it easy for him to understand, Naruto trusted him to be simple and honest. It helped that Iruka was one of the few people that he'd labeled a 'precious person' because he'd saved him when Mizuki had tried to kill him.

Rounding the last corner, he spied Ichiraku and bolted the last bit as fast as he could. Skidding to a stop just outside of the restaurants flaps, he pushed them aside with a flourish. "One bowl of miso ramen!"

"Naruto? What are you doing here?"

Naruto blinked in confusion as he looked at the other person sitting in front of him. "Eh? Iruka-sensei, what are you doing here?"

Iruka grinned, waving a pair of chopsticks in greeting. "We have the day off today, and I figured I'd see you here at some point."

"Really?" Naruto asked, sliding into the seat next to him. "I don't remember having any day off. Did I miss something?"

Iruka chuckled. "Probably. You somehow managed to skip today at the Academy every year."

"What day?" Naruto asked, tilting his head in a confused manner.

"It's the Sandaime's birthday. Also known as Paperwork Day." Iruka gave him a sidelong look and notice his confusion. "You didn't know that? February eighth."

Naruto's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he took in this information. He had never once asked when his jiji's birthday was, and had never thought to ask someone when it was. He was so far gone, he missed when Ayame placed his ramen in front of him.

"Naruto…Naruto are you okay?" Iruka asked slowly, waving a hand in front Naruto face.

"What?" Naruto asked, blinking his eyes rapidly. In true Naruto fashion, the first thing his mind thought of was the steaming bowl in front of him. "Awesome! Itadakimasu!"

"Naruto." Iruka slowly rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Naruto turned back to Iruka, noodles hanging slightly out of his mouth. "Huh?"

Shaking his head in exasperation, Iruka chuckled. "You haven't changed a bit have you?"

Naruto grinned. "Of course I have! I'm a genin now! I've been training really hard, and just got back from my first C-ranked mission!"

Iruka's grip on his chopsticks tightened at the mention of that. He'd heard the story from Naruto a few days before with him, and Iruka had immediately set out to find Kakashi and give him a piece of his mind. He'd been unable to find him, and when he'd told the Sandaime, he'd just been brushed off seeing as Kakashi had done 'the right thing'. Because endangering your team of genin was 'the right thing' to do in that situation.

"Eh? A C-ranked mission?" Ayame asked from the kitchen.

Naruto grinned, jumping into a fully detailed description of his mission; complete with sound effects and unnecessary commentary. Iruka ignored him for the most part, focusing on his ramen in an attempt to finish his next bowl before Naruto finished his story. Ayame, and shortly after he'd begun Teuchi, seemed to hang off his every word. Iruka inwardly chuckled at Ayame's little gasps of surprise and excitement whenever Naruto had done something impressive, knowing how exaggerated Naruto could be. After all, no one could turn themselves into a windmill shuriken and have themselves thrown at a missing-nin without them knowing…right?

As Naruto began to tell about the walk to the village, he remembered what he'd planned on asking Iruka after he'd gotten something to eat. "Hey, Iruka-sensei?"

"Eh?" Iruka said, drawn away from his ramen.

"Something happened today, and it's really been bugging me." Naruto rubbed his cheek nervously. "Do you think you could help?"

Iruka looked Naruto over thoroughly. Naruto had only asked questions about something when it was something of particular interest, and those were usually very, _very_ interesting conversations to try and explain to him. Having not seen him since the Academy, he was a bit nervous as to what new subject Naruto would bring up.

However, he was still a teacher at heart, and didn't have it in him to not try and help. "Sure Naruto. What's the matter?"

Naruto twisted around in his chair, trying to get a bit more comfortable before he began. "Have you ever made a promise you didn't want to keep, but found yourself having to keep it when you want to break it?"

There was a small break of silence as Iruka thought over the question. The way Naruto worded the question made it sound like Naruto had discovered some secret that he was dying to tell someone, but had been expressly forbidden from talking about it. While it could have been on his mission, Iruka quickly decided it was likely something else. Although Naruto hadn't mentioned how he'd beaten the ice user Haku, he was more than capable of connecting the dots and figuring that the Kyuubi had been involved.

'_Oh, so he wants to talk about the Kyuubi, but was told not to. That makes sense.'_ Iruka thought, not realizing how far from the truth he could be.

Sadly, he was unaware of Naruto's promise to Sakura.

"Well Naruto, it could be that you're just becoming more mature." Iruka said, smiling kindly as he patted Naruto on the shoulder.

Naruto scrunched up his face in confusion. "What's 'mature'?"

"It means you're growing up. Sound to me like you've finally decided to take your shinobi life seriously."

Naruto's confusion left instantly. "Yeah, that sounds right! I've been working really hard to become Hokage! Promises are important to someone as awesomely powerful as the Hokage, right?"

Iruka nodded, glad that he'd gotten through to the blond. "Right Naruto. Now go enjoy yourself."

Naruto grinned impishly at that. Quickly placing down some money for his ramen, he got up and began to make his way towards his apartment. He'd missed out on every one of the Sandaime's birthday's, and he planned on making something big. Maybe another run at the Hokage Monument with the words 'Happy Birthday Jiji' would work. "See you later! I've got twelve years to make up for!"

Iruka shivered as he felt his 'prankster senses' tingle. Peaking his head out of the flaps, he shouted after Naruto. "Promise me no pranks today Naruto! The last thing the Sandaime needs right now is you getting out of hand!"

Naruto groaned, whirling around to face his former teacher. "Don't worry, I promise!"

There was a shiver that ran down his spine and a pressure in between his eyes as he said those words.

It was going to be a long day for Naruto.

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AN: Alright! My first story, first chapter, DONE! I hope you've all enjoyed thus far.

I'm going to be following Chewie Cookies guidelines for this story pretty loosely, seeing as I have an idea of how to work this. I'm not just going to drop all the good stuff on Naruto's lap, he's going to earn it. I mean, he's not _Sasuke _after all.

Just so you all know, this will eventually be NaruHina. There _may_ be another girl who I'll add, mostly because of the humor/drama that would come from _that_ particular promise (if you don't know who I'm talking about…I have nothing to say to that). But then, that's only if people want her in, or it fits the plot at that point. The 'Hinata gets a backbone' part will involve her acting somewhat out of character and then as the clan heiress should, which I'm really looking forward to writing. For those of you who missed it, this story starts after the Wave Arc. I have a good reason for this…which I'll explain later.

I don't like 'bashing' characters, but I will villainize and twist them (villainizing is a particular favorite). Sarutobi is just trying to do his job and be a surrogate father…even if there is somewhat of an agenda behind his actions.

Also, this will be very, _**very**_ AU. That means there will be some other things that should prove different, unique, and (if I write it right) interesting. Of course, your input will definitely help move it in a more awesome direction!

Please push the little review button at the bottom, it'll make my day.


	2. Dawning Realizations

Don't expect me to update as quick as I have for the next chapter. This one really just kind of bit me, and I went with it. Now, onto the disclaimer!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...or the real concept behind this story. I do own the story itself, so that should count for something!...right?**

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Word of Honor

_Chapter 2: Dawning Realizations_

Iruka slowly made his way to the Hokage Tower, sighing as he did so. While he had the day off from Academy duties, he part-timed at the Hokage Tower to earn a little extra pay. Most other people avoided the Tower, knowing that it was a very bad idea to aggravate the Hokage. For Iruka, his need to feed his wallet outweighed that fear. After all, he was feeding Naruto part-time.

Ascending the stairs, he knocked gently on the Hokage's door. "Hokage-sama?"

There was a small bit of noise from the other side before he got the okay to enter. Poking his head in hesitantly, he was greeted with a small smile. "Ah Iruka. It's good to see you. Please, come in."

Iruka did so slowly, knowing that he needed to treed carefully. "How are you today Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi shrugged. "It's been quiet today. Peaceful for the most part."

Iruka nodded, understanding what the Hokage meant quite clearly. "Well then, I hope your day remains that way."

Sarutobi nodded, taking a slow drag on his pipe. There wasn't any day better than today for him, and he was going to get all the enjoyment as he possibly could from it. Like take pleasure in others misfortunes.

"So Iruka, I heard you have my grandson in your class now."

Iruka's face scrunched up in exasperation as he remembered his dealings with the Hokage's grandson. "Yes, I do Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi leaned forward in his seat, a small smile on his face. "And how has he been?"

Taking a deep breath, Iruka slowly spoke. "He's a good student, for the most part. Every now and then he pulls a prank. It's like having Naruto back in the classroom again."

Sarutobi chuckled at that. "Yes, I imagine it would feel like that. He has taken a certain shine to Naruto and his antics. He's often referred to Naruto as his 'Boss' and his 'rival for Hokage' among other things. It's actually been rather humorous to hear him going off on how he plans on showing him just how powerful he's become." A small rosy hue crossed his face as a certain memory came to mind. "He's also become quite proficient at using the Oiroke no Jutsu (Centerfold Technique)."

If the blush were any indication, Iruka remembered the technique only too well. "I guess I should be glad he hasn't unleashed it at the Academy yet. It would be really bad to spread that particular technique to our impressionable youth."

Sarutobi tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I'm not to sure that it hasn't already. Konohamaru has a pair of friends that he spends a lot of time with. It's quite possible that he's taught them as well."

Iruka paled at this, unsure of just how bad it could be if those three unleashed said jutsu on his unsuspecting class. If the other girls didn't kill the boy, the clan's would surely bring their wrath upon _him,_ since the technique would look like it was spreading from the Academy. More specifically from him. "I hope he doesn't use it until after the Academy. I thought I'd finally gotten the Clan Heads off my back when Naruto left the Academy."

Sarutobi nodded as a large smile crossed his face. "It's always nice to hear that he's made such lasting connections with the Clan Heads. Being remembered by such important people will be a boon should he ever become strong enough to take over my position as Hokage."

Iruka nodded slowly. "That's one way of looking at it. Of course, he'll have to make other connections too. And get off his 'ramen only' diet."

As he said that, Iruka remembered the conversation he'd had with Naruto. Rubbing his hands together, he chuckled nervously. "Speaking of our favorite troublemaker, I wanted to talk to you about something."

Sarutobi sighed, taking another long drag on his pipe. This was bound to be something he didn't want to deal with, but would like to have out of the way for later. "Alright, let's hear it."

"Well, I think Naruto's having some difficulty with the secret he was told when he graduated." Iruka said slowly, not wanting to break the Sandaime's law concerning said subject in front of the man himself.

For his part, Sarutobi didn't outwardly react to the subject. "Really? He seems to have kept quiet thus far about the subject. Of course, I suppose if he really has no one to talk to about it besides the two of us, the past few months in Nami no Kuni would have been stressful to him."

Iruka nodded. "I agree Hokage-sama. However, I don't know what to do about it. He needs someone to talk to, but this is a serious matter that he can't just freely tell anyone." He grimaced as he thought of the pained look on Naruto's face when he'd asked the question. "This secret has made him grow up so fast."

Sarutobi sighed, understanding the underlying thoughts of the man. "I'm sure he'll be fine." Noting the still stressed expression on Iruka's face, he gave him a disarming smile. "If it means that much to you, I'll have Kakashi talk to him about it. After all, Kakashi has had experience with something similar."

Iruka nodded, understanding that Kakashi _would_ understand certain parts of it that other people wouldn't. "Thank you Hokage-sama." He glanced out the window, a small smirk sliding onto his face. "I wonder what he'll get you for your birthday."

A coughing sputter caught Iruka's attention and made him turn to a sudden red faced Sarutobi. "What *cough* what did you say?"

Iruka blinked at the sight of the Hokage in such obvious distress, unsure of what to make of it. "Um, I was just wondering what Naruto was going to get you for your birthday." Noticing the red in his face turn pale rather rapidly, Iruka felt a shiver run down his spine. "You…you've never told him it's your birthday today…have you?"

Sarutobi slowly shook his head from side to side. They'd seen what kind of gifts Naruto had given Iruka on his birthday, the Oiroke no Jutsu being one of those gifts at one point. Both men turned their eyes to the window, awaiting the pandemonium that was bound to come from Naruto's good natured attempt at giving his jiji a birthday present.

**-xxxxx-**

If one were to describe Naruto, tactical would not be one of the words used. Mischievous, overly energetic, and an idiot would be a few, but not tactical. Most people didn't even want to believe that he knew the first thing about strategy and the different branches that would eventually develop in combat.

However, this was a perfect way to describe his pranks. He thought of almost everything; the materials that he had or could get, the shinobi that could potentially get in the way, his 'way out', and he even when so far as to take how long it took to get it done into account. He couldn't do this in the field, due to a certain lack of instructors who were capable of turn harmless pranks into hardened battle strategies, though he had shown that he could pull of an on the spot strategy during the mission to Nami no Kuni.

Which was why he was in a particularly peculiar position at the moment. You see, he had just recently heard that it was the Sandaime's birthday. He knew that while he didn't have much, nearly everything he owned had come from the man, and even now he continued to help take care of him. As such, he wanted to make up for all the years he missed, and the best present he could think of was painting the Hokage's Monument with big letters that would read _'Happy Birthday Hokage-jiji'_. The only problem?

His brain was broken.

After meeting Iruka, he'd rushed back to his apartment, locked the door, and pulled out some plans. He had so many ideas, all of which would be helped along if he used his Kage Bunshin no jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique). As soon as he began his plotting, he'd either forget what he was doing or found himself scratching his head at the suddenly cryptic plans he'd used to first paint the Hokage's Monument.

Which was why he figured his brain was broken. After all, this hadn't happened before, and he was getting frustrated.

"Damn it, what's wrong with me?" He shouted to no one in particular as he took a step back from looking at his plans.

Pacing back and forth in front of the table that he'd laid the paper on, he tried to wrap his mind around this mystery. He knew he was rusty at pranks due to his time being filled with missions and training. He wasn't just some Academy student anymore, and he had to step up his training if he wanted to become Hokage. Heck, he had to step it up if he wanted to beat Sasuke.

"Ah! I remember now, I was going to go train!" Naruto shouted, his mind drifting to the new thought. Turning to run back to his room to get more 'training ready' clothes, he noticed the paper on the table. "Wait…damn it!"

He scowled at the paper. He'd somehow gotten sidetracked from trying to figure out why he couldn't plan his prank! That wouldn't do; this was a very important prank for a very important person. It wasn't like he could put it off for some other day and do it then. It would be unexpected, but rather besides the point.

As Naruto thought along that line of thought, he found plans forming. Old plans, new plans, revised plans all formed in moments. Instead of rubbing his hands deviously as he normally would have, he just stared ahead into space as the hamster in his head began to run in its wheel.

"That would work, but I'd have to do it tomorrow." Naruto muttered, thinking of a few different pranks at the same time. Discarding them, he moved onto more immediate plans that he could work with. This continued for nearly ten minutes before he finally had to give up. All of the good plans he could come up with took to long, and would have to be done either the next day, or the day after. Sitting back down in front of his 'Paint the Monument' plans, he sighed. "Why can't I pull this off today? What's wrong with me?"

"_Promise me no pranks today Naruto!"_

Naruto blinked at the memory of the promise. He'd almost forgotten about the promise, what with him trying to forget about said promise and get the Hokage a birthday present by pulling a great prank. It was just a promise, but for some reason, it felt different. Kind of like his promise to Sakura had felt, only less painful.

Biting his lip, he slowly sat back down. This was not something that he ever remembered happening to him, especially since this was unlike any feeling he had ever experienced before. Not only that, but it had happened twice now.

Remembering what he'd been told by Iruka at Ichiraku, he rolled the thought around in his head. "So…this is 'maturity'?" Naruto muttered. It made sense to him. Of course, he didn't really understand what Iruka had meant when he'd said it was a part of growing up either. It was probably one of those things that they taught at the Academy and that he missed because he skipped that day.

Silently he muttered that he would try and pay more attention to the lessons people taught him. He bet that all this basic stuff that he should have learned early on was going to keep haunting him until the day he died. Or course, this also meant that for the time being, he had no gift to give to the Hokage.

Groaning in mental agony, he finally gave up on the giant prank. The constant mind blanking was making him frustrated, and since it was a day off, he wanted to go out and train. But that wasn't going to happen until he got this monkey off his back.

"Monkey." He said with a chuckle at the terrible joke.

Pushing the thought aside for later, he thought of other things he could possibly get the Hokage for his birthday. Since the prank was out, at least for today, there wasn't a lot that he knew that other people got each other for their birthdays. This would be the first birthday present that he'd be getting anyone. The only present that he'd ever gotten from someone other than the Hokage…

Naruto looked over to his dresser, the old gift now on his mind. Opening the top drawer, he stared down at a pair of green goggles that rested in its own little place in the drawer. Slowly, almost in a reverent manner, he took the goggles from their place.

The goggles had come in an unmarked package on his birthday two years ago. He'd actually been about to throw it out, thinking someone had just dropped some junk in front of his door by accident. The only thing that had stopped him was the little tag that was on it that said it was to him. When he'd thanked the Hokage the next day, and found out it wasn't from him, he'd found a lot more value to them. There was someone out there who'd given them to him, and that gave it all the more value to him.

"I've got it!" Naruto said, the tension slipping away to be replaced by excitement. "Now, I just have to find something awesome to give to Hokage-jiji!"

Rushing to the door, he stumbled briefly as he realized he still had the goggles in his hand. Gripping them lightly he quickly went back to place them back in his dresser.

"…I'll figure out who gave me these." He said, his fingers brushing against the tag that had moved from underneath the goggles when he'd moved it. It had been a while since he'd seen it, yet he still vividly remembered the flowing handwriting on the card.

Returning the goggle to their resting place, he spun back to the door and headed out. He had a present to find.

**-xxxxx-**

Kakashi was having a rather amusing day. After meeting with his team and messing with their heads, he'd headed off to meet with the woman he'd asked to meet him at a nearby bar earlier. It was slow going for their 'relationship' seeing as nothing had come of it yet, but that didn't bother him. He'd learned to discipline himself in Anbu, and patience was something that he'd come to pride himself on. This trait was particularly important to develop for hunter-nin or assassins, which were two of the main sub-divisions he ran during his time as Anbu Captain.

Most people thought that this particular discipline was thanks mostly to the little orange book that he read publicly on a daily basis. This was actually not true. After all, a book and his hand was no substitute for the real deal, and he didn't want to be known as one of those closet perv's who actually did that. No, he had better reasons for reading it…mostly.

However, said book was not out at them moment. He had been asked to lunch by two other recent jonin, Kurenai and Asuma. According to what he'd heard, they met on occasion to have lunch and swap notes on how they were training their students and they tried to figure out how to make their methods more efficient. Kakashi just wanted to hear for himself what these methods were.

The best part of this was that he was only a half hour late. Their reaction to his arrival was almost more amusing than his teams reaction to him being late. Almost.

"You're _early?_" Asuma asked, his eye wide and somewhat panicked as his eyes darted about. From his expression, he obviously was expecting the world to end or something of the like.  
Kakashi smiled at them. "Ah, I fell off the road of life and somehow wound up in the neighborhood and figured I'd see what it felt like to be early." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It feels the same really. I might have to mix it up every now and then just for kicks."

Kurenai, for the most part, had a far more calm expression. "Thank you for coming Kakashi-san. Please, have a seat."

Shrugging nonchalantly, he sat in the seat next to Asuma. "So, what were you going to talk about today?"

Asuma and Kurenai gave each other a look, as though trying to convey some secret message he was not meant to know about. He sighed as he realized that he really didn't know whatever they knew, which meant that this was appearing eerily similar to an infiltration mission. Both of the other jonin seemed to have recognized this as well, and were doing their best to think of things to talk about which wouldn't tell him anything important.

Like he didn't already know; he just wanted to see what they came up with.

"Well, we've really been working on their teamwork." Asuma said casually.

'_Ah, so that's how they're going to do it.'_ Kakashi thought. His smile fell slightly as he thought of his own team. He'd done more than a few teamwork training exercises, but overall they still had a lot that they could work on. Especially in their individual skills.

"They've got a lot of raw talent for kids their age, but they still need refining." Kurenai said, taking over where Asuma had left off. "Their clans are very helpful for their individual techniques, but if they don't work well with each other than those will be pointless in the field."

Kakashi winced inwardly at this. "Yes, I imagine that they would."

An uncomfortable silence came between the three jonin. It was broken shortly after as Asuma's and Kurenai's food came. "So Kakashi, how are your kids coming."

"Pretty good." Kakashi said, slowly rolling a glass of water the waitress had been kind enough to leave for him. "Overall, their skills need work, but their teamwork is more difficult to train."

Asuma raised an eyebrow at this statement. "Oh really? And why's that?"

Kakashi chuckled. "Because Naruto's on the team."

Both jonin looked confused at that, which just made Kakashi chuckled more. After seeing just how Naruto's spontaneous energy was capable of bringing up on the fly, preplanned formations felt somewhat redundant. Naruto, for all the IQ of an idiot, was more capable of figuring out how to get out of sticky situations than some Anbu recruits he'd trained with. If he'd used the same situation with one of the recruits, against an enemy who was vastly stronger than they were, they'd have listened to what he'd said and run away. He'd actually given the situation to his successor, Tenzou, and had him run it once while he watched. They'd come up with several plans, most of which involved high leveled jutsu that became too overcomplicated and wound up blowing up in their faces when it didn't work. Not one of them thought to simply use the basic Henge to do what Naruto did. There would have been some differences between the attempts, but that was to be expected. All in all, it was more proof of Naruto's latent potential.

Asuma shrugged, knowing they weren't going to get any more out of Kakashi. "Well, I guess that's your problem then." Asuma rolled his cigarette in his mouth, a rather smug grin on his face. "Besides, if our teams were to go up against one another, the Ino-Shika-Cho combo would be more than enough to take on any sort of formations you could come up with beforehand."

Kurenai gave Asuma a flat look. "The Ino-Shika-Cho is a rather well known in the shinobi world. What is it that make it so great?"

Asuma chuckled. "The teamwork of the three clans is _known_, yes, but with the different techniques they have and teach the combos are capable of changing to accommodate different situations. With the Nara brains, Akimichi brawn, and Yamanaka mind techniques, no team could take them on and win if they were unprepared."

Kakashi gave them a firm look, a mischievous twinkle hidden within it. "Is that so? Tell me, what are your plans for the upcoming Chunin Exams?"

**-xxxxx-**

Ino was having a really off day. She had the day off from training and there weren't any missions that her team had to do, so she was stuck working in her families flower shop to pass the time. She'd thought that when she'd become a shinobi she'd be able to be out of doing demeaning chores. In fact, she still had to do chores when she was doing most missions. It was bad enough doing them at home, but having to do them for someone else was just demeaning.

If it weren't for the fact that civilians actually could do most of their work on their own, she was certain there would be a lot more work for her to do. She'd actually asked her dad about it when she'd become frustrated by a babysitting job. According him, civilians actually did do most of their own stuff, they just had an overflow of jobs that they couldn't get done with the time they had. Their work kept the village afloat during war as they were able to supply the shinobi with weapons or other items when their normal routes may have been cut off. It made her more grateful for the things the civilians did; it didn't make her complain less, she was just more grateful.  
Her only solace in the job was that she actually liked working in the flower shop. It was something to bring out the social butterfly in her, and was one of those things that she could do. Because she was good at it, it brought a certain peace of mind to her. After all, while Sakura was on Sasuke's team, Ino had the practical skill set to back up her claim on Sasuke. Sakura was all brain. Sasuke wasn't looking for someone like that.

She sighed, staring into space as she looked around the shop. There were usually more people who came into the shop, but today was rather slow. Which meant she had a lot more free time than she really knew what to do with which drove her crazy.

Just as she was about to snap, the bell attached to the door rang as someone entered. Turning with a grin, she began to say the store's greeting before she realized who it was. "Welcome to the Yamanaka Flower – Naruto!"

Naruto glanced around nervously, his head snapping up as he heard Ino say his name. "Ino? What are you doing here?"

"My family owns this place." Ino said, her chipper mood increasing. "So, how can I help you?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously. "Uh, I was looking to get Hokage-jiji a gift since it's his birthday, but I didn't know what to get him."

"And you decided to get him…flowers?" Ino asked skeptically. It didn't sound like the sort of gift Naruto would get someone, or that the Sandaime would want for a gift.

Naruto looked down, shuffling his feet. "Well, I've seen other people flowers for each other, and they usually look really happy when they get flowers. So I figured Hokage-jiji would like it too."

Ino giggled at that. "Naruto, guys usually get flowers for girls. You know, to impress them?"

Naruto turned his gaze to some of the flowers. "Really? But flowers are nice. Why wouldn't Hokage-jiji like flowers?"

"Because they're supposed to be girly." Ino said offhandedly. She knew her father enjoyed the shop just as much as she did, but for the fact that it gave him something to do when he wasn't out drinking with Shikaku and Choza. That made him an exception.

Naruto on the other hand, had never been told this before. "Really? I always thought that gardening and flower arranging was supposed to be some secret skill girls learned to give them an edge since they didn't have taijutsu sparring until third year. I actually wanted to try sneaking into the class to see what the big deal was." He grinned impishly. "Actually, I did try once. It didn't go so well."

"Really?" Ino said, her inner gossip quickly surfacing and demanding details. "What happened?"

"Well, I tried to use a Henge to turn into a girl, but when one of the other girls poked me I turned back into a guy." Naruto said, scratching his cheek at the memory. "The teacher was so mad, she gave me detention and had me clean the erasers. I got back at her good though. She learned to not mess with the great Uzumaki Naruto!"

Ino frowned at this story. She had never missed a day of the Academy, constantly vigilant in making sure that Sakura didn't get one over her in getting close to Sasuke. She did however, remember the time when her teacher came in, panting and with lime green paint in her hair. "So that's why she had paint in her hair."

Naruto nodded. "Yup. It took me a bit, but I eventually got it set it up just right an nailed her on her way to the Academy. It was pretty funny, right Ino? …Ino?"

Ino didn't answer the question right away, an interesting thought having taken root. Naruto was on Sasuke's and Sakura's team. Sakura was her rival for Sasuke's affection, the way Sasuke was Naruto's unwilling rival for Sakura's affection. Sakura had gotten onto Sasuke's team due to lucky pickings, which meant that Ino would normally have little to no chance of getting her shot at Sasuke. But if she had some inside help, it could be possible.

"Naruto, could you help me with something?" Ino asked as innocently as she could.

"Uh, sure. What's up?" Naruto asked, not feinting innocence in the slightest.

Ino grinned, as she slid behind the counter. "Well, I needed some help…getting some info on Sasuke-kun."

Naruto blinked in confusion. "Huh? What do you want to know about him?"

Ino shrugged. "Anything and everything you could get for me. If you want, I'll help you get that date with Sakura you've always wanted."

Normally, this would have made Naruto ecstatic, and jump at the opportunity. With the strange happenings of him being unable to break his promise to her though, he had some things to think over before throwing himself at Sakura again. "Uh, thanks Ino, but I'll pass on that."

Ino's eye widened in shock. _'Has Naruto given up on Forehead? No way, he's been star struck since the Academy! This…this is big! How am I supposed to get him to tell me what he knows about Sasuke-kun now?'_

Naruto glanced around the room again, oblivious to Ino's thoughts. "I could use some help getting Hokage-jiji a gift though." He said, snapping Ino out of her thoughts. Noticing her a bewildered look, he explained. "I haven't gotten a present for anyone's birthday before, and I wanted to make it up to Hokage-jiji, since he's done so much for me."

Ino nodded, finding that this was probably an even better deal than something she couldn't really promise. "Okay. Well, how about we'll get the gift today, and we'll meet the day after tomorrow."

"Why not tomorrow? I don't have all that much to do, and the missions don't take all that long anymore." Naruto asked.

"Because I have team practice most of the day tomorrow." Ino said, rolling her eyes at what she'd said. "Well, more like we practice for a bit, then Asuma-sensei takes Shikamaru aside to play shogi for the rest of the time while Choji sits around and eats chips. I swear, I'm the only who takes our training seriously."

"Uh, okay?" Naruto had no idea what to say to that, and made the smart choice of not leaping into dangerous waters. Rocking back on his heels, he returned to looking around the shop. "So, can we get started? Hokage-jiji's not getting any younger now!"

Ino stared at Naruto, unable to believe the audacity of his statement, while at the same time trying not to laugh at how true it was. She almost felt bad about taking advantage of Naruto like this, but it wasn't like Naruto wasn't getting anything out of it. And if it got her one step closer to Sasuke, she was all for it.

"Well then, we don't want that to happen. Let's get to work." Ino said, nodding vigorously. Today was a great day for her; out of the blue walked a gold mine that would get her that much closer to _her_ Sasuke-kun. It was like a dream come true.

And she planned on making her dream a reality.

* * *

AN: Alright, now Naruto's starting to figure it out. He's no genius, so making him go slow in this has a point. Of course, when I explain how the promise thing works, I'm sure it'll be scientifically redundant, but full of awesome!

Also, the whole 'goggles were a gift from someone *hint hint*' scene. I _love_ reading well-written stories where the goggles are from someone other than Iruka or the Hokage. Mostly because the goggles are only seen in Chapter/Episode 1 of the Manga/Anime, which means that using them to build up the NaruHina relationship is definitely possible. Naruto didn't promise anything on the goggles yet, but I may do it later.

The whole flower shop scene was fun to write. I could totally see Naruto thinking that people gave each other flowers on their birthday. Especially since he thought that 'having the right curves' (in the anime) meant finding a watermelon to eat. It's pure, innocent Naruto.

Well, just a quick preview of next chapter's title: _Words to_ _Regret. _A prequel to the downfall of this story's NaruIno possibility.

Thank you to all you who have reviewed so far, and to the watchers, go ahead and leave a little something too! I don't bite.


	3. Words to Regret

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the origional concept for this story. I do however, have to take responsibility for their actions in this story. Great, no pay and all the blame, just great.

* * *

_**Word of Honor**_

_Chapter 3: Words to Regret_

Three figures darted through the foliage, stealthily making their way towards their target. The success of this mission was imperative. Failure was not an option, especially after all they'd gone through to get to this point.

"Distance to target?" Their leaders gravelly voice came over the radio. Despite their abilities, they weren't certain of whether or not they were actually going to be able to pull this off. It was a disaster waiting to happen, if their opponents abilities were as unpredictable as they'd heard.

"Thirty meters. Do we have the green light." The voice of their female companion responded.

"Wait." The team leader responded.

"Why are we waiting? We have him, we should take him now." One of the other members said.

"We need to hold back." The final member of their squad said, trying to be the voice of reason. "You heard what happened to the last squad, we can't just – "

"No, I'm going now!"

The target turned, obviously hearing his shout. He exploded from the brush, uncaring of what his teammates thought. There had been to much pain that had come from everything that had happened, and now he would end it. If nothing else, he would at the very least stop the piercing look in those uncaring, grey ringed eyes.

Before he got halfway to the man, a heavy weight slammed into his back. His teammates could hear a crack as the two slammed onto the ground, obviously from his spine rather than from the ground. His teammates winced, taking note of the new arrival. Unlike the first, who was had spiky orange hair, this newcomer was bald with an unusually thick neck and odd body shape from what they could tell from beneath his thick cloak. Their team leader had once had a close encounter with this particular man before, and knew just how dangerous his abilities.

"Get out of here! This has become to – " he managed to get out before it was cut off into a gurgling noise as a third figure –a woman with blue hair and an origami flower in her hair- drew a kunai across his throat. The final two members of the team jumped towards each other, getting back to back to keep from being snuck up on.

Unfortunately, they weren't expecting the sudden wave of chakra to force them into the trees. As they were flying through the air, they noticed the first man holding his hand in their direction, as though to push them away. The female of the group got off relatively unharmed, while the final male member slammed into the tree and was knocked unconscious.

Within moments, Hanzo's team of hunter-nin sent to kill the ever elusive Pein was taken out. Once again, the shinobi of Amegakure no Sato (Village hidden in the Rain) were proven ineffective against the might of the self-proclaimed god.

The large, bald man moved quickly to recover the two unconscious Amegakure shinobi. It wouldn't do for them to die before they'd completed the test runs. It would be a show of the true power he had as a 'god', and the unconventional final gift of the man who had shown him the truth of how he would bring peace to the world.

The blue haired woman moved to the still conscious Amegakure female. "What's your name?"

"…Chika. Akiko Chika." She responded slowly, trying not to aggravate the injuries she'd received.

"Chika." The woman repeated slowly. It was normally a bad idea to know the name of someone who you were about to take prisoner due to building attachments. However, she might as well know what to put on the gravestone that would never be made for the poor girl.

Chika said nothing as she was bound and lifted into the woman's arms. It was only as they began to move that she finally built up the courage to speak. "What are you planning to do with me? I'm not anyone important, and there's nothing that you'll get out of me that you won't be able to get from one of my teammates."

"We know." The blue haired woman replied, maneuvering through the trees behind her orange haired and bald companions.

"Then why? What are you going to do with me?" Chika asked. If they knew that they wouldn't get anything useful out of her, then what could they possibly want from her? To her surprise, the blue haired woman actually answered her question. Albeit, very vaguely.

"You are going to be the beginning of the Senou no Tane (Seed of War)."

**-xxxxx-**

Naruto wrung his hands as he stared down at his team from a top a wall. Since his little conversation with Ino, he'd become amazingly more aware of the things that Sasuke did or had done. He'd noticed plenty of stuff about Sasuke before, but now he was also taking note of the weird stuff that seemed pointless to know. Like how after Gato was killed, Tsunami had made a special dish with tomatoes, and Sasuke had asked for a couple extra. When Sasuke had performed his missions, he held back from over exerting himself. He'd even noticed that after missions Sasuke would head off towards the abandoned Uchiha District and wouldn't be seen again until the next day. It was mind numbing.

He owed Ino though, and every bit of information he got would help. After all, unlike the ever conservative Sasuke, he found that if something was worth doing it was worth overdoing. And he knew how to overdo stuff only to much enthusiasm.

Despite all of this newfound knowledge, he was currently a nervous wreck. The reason that he was in this current state was due to the fact that the past two days had turned into a perpetual hell for him. If anyone had asked him two days before, he'd have said the same thing and that it was Sasuke's fault. Now though, it was different. Or rather, his perception was different.

"Come on Sasuke-kun, it's just lunch." Sakura said flirtatiously.

He sighed, hearing Sakura attempt to get Sasuke to go out with her. He'd tried asking Sakura out again after he'd given the Hokage his gift to see if it was just nerves about breaking him promise. After his throat had closed up and he'd watched her leave again, he'd realized that he wasn't going to be breaking his promise any time soon. He thought he had it all figured out when he figured out he couldn't pull pranks. But the promise to Sakura was different; mainly in that he didn't really mean it when he said it, but was still held to his word. It was something to think on; though he really didn't want to think about something this complicated at all.

"No Sakura." Sasuke said, not bothering to look back at her as he left to do whatever he did. Naruto watched him leave, noticing that once Sakura had turned away dejectedly, Sasuke actually looked back at her. His look was not what he expected; it had pity, regret, and resolve.

Naruto scratched the back of his head in confusion. Why would Sasuke look at Sakura like that? Things just kept getting stranger the more he tried to pay attention to his surroundings.

Checking the time, he figured he'd better head over to Ino's to get their Sasuke talk over with. Hopping down from the wall and landing in a crouch, he paused as he heard a startled yelp in front of him. Looking up quickly, he noticed Sakura looking rather flustered expression. It turned sour quick as she huffed and turned away from Naruto. "What do you want Naruto?"

Naruto blinked, unsure of how to answer. If he hadn't made the promise, he would have tried to cheer her up by asking her out. Now though, "Nothing. Just wanted you to know I was leaving."

Standing up and shoving his hands into his pockets, he turned and walked away from Sakura. It hurt him more than he thought it would, but he couldn't think of anything else to say or do. If he stayed he would end up trying to ask her out, come off looking like an idiot, and have to watch her walk away a third time. Even he knew better than to let himself be hurt for a third time. Plus, he had to meet with Ino in a little while, and he didn't want to be late.

Sakura watched him walk away, unsure of what to think of Naruto's behavior. Sure she had wanted Naruto to leave her alone, but now that he was, it felt less of a victory and more of a defeat. Like Naruto's advances had filled some hole in her that she hadn't realized was there until Naruto had stopped filling it. After staring after Naruto, she turned and walked in the opposite direction. She had a lot to think about.

Naruto's light pace quickly picked up into a jog as he made his way to Ino's family's flower shop. Ino had told him during their gift shopping extravaganza/birthday crash course, that he should meet her there, and that they would go somewhere else that was more private to ensure that other people wouldn't easily overhear them. He'd just nodded and followed after her, not bothering to ask any of the important questions that he was asking himself now.

'_Crap, was I supposed to get her when I was done with my mission, or at a specific time? Was I supposed to wear something more stealth-like to where we were going? Where are were going? Why didn't I ask her these things before? What did she mean by 'private', and why doesn't that make me feel better?'_

These thoughts and more whirled through his head until before he knew it, he was standing outside the flower shop. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the handle of the door to enter. As he did so, it was thrown violently open into his face as Ino walked out.

"By mom! I'm heading out for the day!" Ino shouted over her shoulder as she left the shop. Barely taking a step outside, she noticed Naruto on his back with a line down the middle of his face and blood coming out of his nose. "Oh good, you're here. Now I don't have to go looking for you. Why are you on the ground? We've got work to do!"

Ignoring his obvious injuries, she picked him up and began to drag him away. Naruto barely managed a stumbled before falling slightly behind Ino as she led the way. Not knowing where she was taking him, and having no idea where in the village they were at, he discretely began to take in his surroundings. There were open vendor's stands on either side of them, people motioning for people in the street to come buy their product. Naruto had difficultly not leaving Ino's side to go check out some of the better smelling vendors they passed, though her grip didn't give him much choice in the matter.

However, there was something else that he noticed as they went through this particular portion of the village. In most other parts, people would see him and quickly turn their heads, not wanting to look at the 'demon'. Here though, people saw him and did something strange…they smiled. Some even waved at him. After a few people did this, he hesitantly waved back. The young woman who had first waved seemed to brighten further as she then turned to talk to the man besides her.

"This is a nice part of town." Naruto muttered, returning another man's wave as they passed by.

Ino shrugged, "I guess they are. We are shinobi though, so I guess that's to be expected. After all, they help us, we protect them. We're like heroes or something."

Due to her being ahead of Naruto, she didn't see him frown at that. While he was more than happy to be considered a hero by people, he wanted to feel like he'd earned it. In Nami no Kuni, he knew he was their hero. After all, Inari had only told him a couple dozen times. But at least by then, he'd fought and earned the right to be called a hero.

These people though, considered him a hero just for being a shinobi. They smiled at him, even though they knew who he was. They were nice and waved, and seemed genuinely happier that he'd acknowledged their waves.

Naruto figured that he'd somehow stumbled into his own personal heaven. Either that, or he was having the best dream ever.

After walking a little more down the market area, Ino lead him down another path that held quite a bit more variety to their selection. There were tool shops, clothing stores, general furniture stores, stores for stuff he'd never heard of before, stores for old stuff. Naruto couldn't take it all in, though he tried his hardest as his eyes darted about.

To top it all off, his treatment hadn't changed in the slightest. People still smiled and waved, and brightened when he happily waved back. He felt like younger than he'd ever felt before, and hoped this never stopped.

Unfortunately, it eventually did come to a stop, as Ino pointed to a restaraunt a short ways away. "Alright, we're here."

The restaurant was small, but nice. It was maybe two stories tall, with windows for both floors letting steam out as the food inside was being cooked. Despite it's modest appearance, it appeared as though there were quite a few people inside, trying to beat the lunchtime rush. To top it all off, there was a large sign that read 'Akimichi Restaurant' that hung over the entrance.

Naruto had heard of places like this; that cooked the food in front of you as you ate. He'd heard the food was excellent, and that once you'd finished your food, you were given complete privacy to converse with your companions or…

Naruto's eyes widened, and his jaw tightened as the thought hit him. "Ino…we're eating here?" he asked hoarsely.

Ino raised her eyebrow, noticing his sudden change in behavior. "Uh, yeah. Choji's family owns the chain of restaurants in the village. Since we're close, we can grab a private booth that will keep people away while we talk."  
Naruto tried to swallow, feeling his mouth dry. His eyes never left the restaurant. "And…you're expecting me to pay…right?"

Ino shrugged. "Well, I guess. If you want to pay for both of out meals, I'm not going to stop you." Her eyes narrowed and her voice quickly became sharp. "Don't think you're mooching off of me though. If I'm paying for my own food, I'm not paying for yours too."

Naruto nodded, "Okay. I just…yeah, never mind."

Now thoroughly confused, Ino jabbed him in his side. "What?"

"It's nothing, just a stupid thought." Naruto said, hoping to avoid embarrassment.

Unfortunately, Ino could see that only to clearly. "Oh no you don't, tell me what you're thinking right now." Naruto bit his lip, muttering under his breath. Barely containing her urge to smack him over the head, she slowly hissed at him. "What was that? I didn't quite hear you."

"Is this a date?" Naruto said, finally able to get his voice to project loud enough to be heard.

Those words froze Ino as she stared at Naruto. Naruto's face quickly turned slightly red, and he averted his gaze to the ground. He knew it. He'd been doing just fine; meet with Ino, walked through an amazing section of the village, was being invited to a very classy restaurant that he probably wouldn't have known was here if Ino hadn't shown it to him, and now he'd screwed it up. He was so –

"Huh, I guess it is."

- stupid?

Naruto's jaw promptly hit the ground as he took his eyes off the ground. She continued, looking thoughtful and blissfully unaware of Naruto's bewilderment. "I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. You picked me up, we had a nice walk, you offered to pay for my food." Ino said, rambling off how 'date-like' their meeting was.

"And…you're okay with that?" Naruto said, tensing slightly to prepare for getting hit.

Instead of hitting him, Ino smirked. "Yeah, I guess I am. I mean, it would have been so much better to have had my first date with Sasuke-kun, but if it means I'll know more about him than any other girl, I'm more than willing to go on a date with you." She shrugged, her smirk shifting into a sly look. "Besides, you promised that you would help me get Sasuke-kun."

Naruto blinked in confusion. "What? No I didn't."

Ino pouted, knowing how to push Naruto's buttons. "So now your lying to me? I thought you were better than that."

"But I didn't say that!" Naruto protested, flustered by the sudden change in Ino's attitude.

"So now you're calling me a liar? I thought you kept your promises. I thought you were better than that." Ino turned on her heels, overdramatically marching away from the restaurant. "If that's how you're going to be, I don't need to be here."

Naruto panicked, figuring that he'd somehow done something wrong. _'Did I say that? It sounds like something I'd say, but don't remember!'_ he thought as he rushed in front of Ino. "Wait, please don't go."

Ino let her bangs shadow her eyes, hiding her smile. Being a Yamanaka, she knew how peoples minds worked better than pretty much anyone else, as well as how to use that to manipulate people to get what she wanted. And she wanted to make absolutely sure that Naruto wouldn't tell any other girl what he was going to tell her.

"Then why won't you admit you promised?" Ino said softly. Feeling the need to drag out a bit more sympathy from her fellow blonde, she bit her lip and looked away from Naruto. "You promised that you're help me when I helped you get the Sandaime's gift, so why won't you admit it?"  
It was times like these when Naruto wished people would have helped him understand the confusing nature of women. Or better yet, for girls to stop changing what they were thinking so often. Naruto was so dragged into Ino's story, he was becoming more unsure of if he'd made the promise or not.

"Ino, I…I don't remember promising that." Naruto said hesitantly.

"Then promise it again. It won't hurt to say it again." Ino said, eyes widening slightly to look more innocent and slightly pleading. She could tell that he was so close to getting him to promise, she could practically taste it.

"I…I don't know." Naruto bit his lip, remembering how the two last promises he'd made had turned out. Granted, the 'no prank' promise wasn't that bad seeing as he could prank any time he wanted now, the 'no date' promise was eating at him. Maybe it was just his imagination, and it was some part of him trying to get over Sakura. Or ghosts that were messing with his head while he slept. He couldn't really rule anything out at this point.

Promising Ino something like this wouldn't be too bad...right?

"Well?" Ino asked. If this didn't work, she planned on waiting for him to get out of sight and use one of her family's jutsu's on him. She wasn't good at getting information like her father was, but it was more than worth it. She would beat Sakura to Sasuke.

"Fine, I promise." Naruto muttered.

Ino leaned forward, grinning despite herself. "What was that? I didn't quite hear you."

Naruto scowled, just short of shouting as he repeated the promise. "I promise I'll help you get Sasuke."

The familiar sensation of a tremor running down his spine and burning in his gut hit him a second later. As he felt it, his whole body went ridged. He had no idea how his promises worked, but after the two times he'd felt it, he'd quickly associated it with him making a promise. And the only time he'd felt it during the promises was when he'd made said promise.

So why had he felt it when he'd promised Ino _now_ if he'd promised her _before_.

Naruto barely noticed as Ino pulled him forward. If there wasn't any conformation of something strange going on with him before, this completely solidified it. And now he was stuck helping Ino get the 'impossible to get' Sasuke. Things couldn't have possibly gotten any worse.

**-xxxxx-**

Orochimaru was not happy.

Normally, when Orochimaru was not happy, people died. Some died quick, while others died slowly to some acidic poison or whatnot. Today however was slightly different in that the cause of his distress was two-fold.

The first issue was the upcoming Chunin Exams. He'd been working out all the details in advance; the soldiers, the ways in and out, even down to which of the Oto genin to send in to front for the exams. He'd planned on placing the Ten no Juin (Cursed Seal of Heaven) on Uchiha Sasuke during the second exam when they were sent through the Forest of Death. He still planned on doing that, however, the speech he'd thought to say to make him come after him for power against his brother had to be changed. There were certain variables that he'd underestimated, and while it was actually a good thing that he did, it meant that he'd have to tweak his plan. He really didn't like that.

The second thing that added to his distress, was the now smoldering letter he'd just read. It had held the information that had informed him to change his plans, but held something else as well. Something that if he didn't immediately set up preparations for, he and the rest of the shinobi world would be destroyed.

"Kabuto." Orochimaru said, his voice not betraying his distress in the slightest. It wouldn't do to have his subordinate becoming suspicious of him.

Kabuto entered a moment later, his glasses catching the light in a way that hid his eyes from view. "Yes Orochimaru-sama?"

"I need my seal notes." He said smoothly.

Kabuto tilted his head slightly, the light giving way to show the confused look in his eyes. "Your curse seal notes? Forgive me for asking, but I thought you were done with all the research you could get from the seals?"

Orochimaru nodded, deciding to indulge his subordinate for the moment. "I did. However, a thought has occurred to me, and I've developed a new theory I'd like to test." His eyes narrowed and he let his killing intent wash over Kabuto. "It was not a request."

Not showing his nervousness, Kabuto backed out into the hall. Heaving a small sigh of relief, he went to get the folder on the curse seals. He knew better than to ask unimportant questions like that, however, his curiosity had every right to be peaked. After all, Orochimaru had never reopened a closed subject that he'd learned enough of. This meant that there was something that Orochimaru had thought of, something that he might have missed and made a connection from one of his other projects.

"I kind of missed working on the curse seals." Kabuto pushed his glasses up from the bridge of his nose. "This should be quite enlightening."

Orochimaru closed his eyes as he felt Kabuto's chakra signature get further away. He knew that Kabuto would be somewhat suspicious about Orochimaru's current actions, but would eventually disregard it. After all, it was something the both of them had found vastly enjoyable to study, and had proved itself a source of quick power for those willing to throw away their sanity or their humanity.

What he was planning to use it for now though, was far more complicated. If the information he had read was true, than his previous course was no longer as needed as he'd previously presumed. However, this also meant that there all of the information he'd gone through such lengths to obtain could quite easily be rendered useless. That would not do, especially for a genius like himself.

He was going to need an army, that much he'd already figured. He had a whole village full of common fodder shinobi which he could throw away at his leisure, and few soldiers that had actual merit in their fighting abilities. This helped keep them from getting any ideas of simply grouping together and attacking him as a whole to throw him off balance and potentially kill him. He was no fool.

He needed their loyalty more than anything else. Kimimaro was a perfect example of loyalty, and of one who had been given power beyond that of his average shinobi. If he had half of his shinobi like him, then what he was planning would be quite pointless.

However, he couldn't put this into effect just yet. Especially not with the invasion so close. They would discover too much if his soldiers were strong enough to push back their general shinobi and push their elite shinobi into compromising positions. When he'd left he had done everything to make sure that he only left enough information for them to get a basic grasp of what he could potentially do. To give them another piece of his puzzle would cause them to intervene, which would continually set him back. He didn't like setbacks.

His eyes opened slowly as Kabuto reentered his chambers. "Thank you Kabuto." He picked up the folder, leafing through the pages.

Kabuto eyed the folder, curiosity slowly overcoming his survival instincts. "Where will we begin Orochimaru-sama?"

Orochimaru looked over the folder at his subordinate. He mulled over the pros and cons of telling Kabuto, who would more than likely want to know what different applications there were to the curse seals more than he did. It was in his nature, and he would take full advantage of it.  
With a sly smirk, he finally responded. "We've already found how to mimic the enzymes Juugo naturally creates. Now we're going to figure out how to make the cursed seals become even more versatile."

* * *

AN: And~ scene. Chapter to move forward the antagonists and Naruto forward; complete.

Once again, I love playing on Naruto's current innocence. He's on his first real 'date', people are all smiling and being nice, and then he'd tricked into making a promise that he would normally have not made without a very convincing reason. That'll teach him to pay more attention…maybe. It all depends I guess.

Quick, before anyone mentions the civilians behavior...I can't explain that. At least, not yet, and not in an AN. That would be rude to future OC's who will have giant monologues based on this little fact! Ah, the monologues that proves pride will kill you, and that villains have a need to satisfy their already over inflaited ego's. That will be fun.

I really like messing with Orochimaru (and getting away from Kishi's plot), and will have a lot of fun with him in the upcoming Chunin Exams. The change to the cursed seals is going to be needed, and exact changes should prove very…very interesting.

Because I'm curious, how many of you thought that the opening scene was another Tora the cat mission? It was designed to be that way, while progressing my plot. Also, say hello to my first OC, Chika! And now I've thrown her into the clutches of her arch foes…fun.

Like I said in AN of last chapter, this chapter is the prequel to the end of NaruIno. Just so you know, I'm not against the pairing…I just have something else in mind. Plus, I needed someone who was after Sasuke who wasn't Sakura, and who might listen to what Naruto will say in the next chapter and she was readily available.

And on that note, preview of the next chapter viva the title; _Interpreting Conversations._ Where Naruto reveals truths Ino will wish remained hidden.

Please review! It will help let me know how I'm doing. Constructive criticism would be nice.


	4. Interpreting Conversation

To Anonymous Reviewer Kk2010, I just wanted to say something about your review.

_This Naruto is just like the normal naruto, pretty stupid, foolish and unrealistic_

This is very true. However, there is also two other things I'd like to point out. One, I'm working with that Naruto as the base; of course he's going to be that way! If he wasn't, it wouldn't have been the 'normal' Naruto. And second, I didn't think to use a big flashy fight scene at the beginning to grab everyone's attention. (Thought of that halfway through this chapter)

So I hope that you continue reading, and update me on how Naruto is coming along from the 'normal' Naruto. Oh, and I'd like to do this privately next time, so use a profile so I can PM you!

Thank you all of you who have reviewed! Now, let's get on with the show!

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. It wouldn't work well with me in charge if my review count were to have any say in it.

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Word of Honor

_Chapter 4: Interpreting Conversation_

Hinata peaked around the post she'd been hiding behind, watching as Naruto and Ino walked into the restaurant. She'd noticed the two of them walking together shortly after Naruto had been hit in the face outside of the flower shop. She had initially thought that Naruto had gone to Ino's to pick up some stuff for the potted plant he had in his apartment. Not that she'd ever been in his apartment to know that, no. She didn't need to be inside to see inside his apartment.

Blushing at the thought as she'd had a few 'accidents' on different occasions, she shook her head to clear it of those particular thoughts. She had much more important things to think about. Like the recent chakra spike Naruto had let off.

She'd seen it by honest, complete accident. Being to far away to hear what Naruto and Ino were saying, she'd activated her Byakugan to read their lips. It was one of the few things she excelled at in using her Byakugan. She figured that if she caught their conversation, it would explain why Naruto was with Ino. He had no previous interest in Ino before hand, and she just didn't buy that Ino was into Naruto.

"_Besides, you promised that you would help me get Sasuke-kun."_ Ino said.

This immediately set Hinata's nerves at ease. _'It's just Ino wanting to get Sasuke-san.'_ She thought with a sigh.

"_What? No I didn't." _Naruto said, making Hinata loose her nerves again. Hinata tapped her fingers together, wondering what that meant as once again she had absolutely no idea what was going on.

Listening further into the conversation, confusion soon became the least of her worries. She had to stop herself from shouting as she quickly came to the realization that Ino was leading Naruto on in an attempt to trick him into making a promise that he obviously didn't know he hadn't made. This became even harder to do when Naruto, in obvious distress, asked her not to go. Whether Ino knew it or not, she was hurting Naruto, and it was hurting _her_ to see him like that.

That was about where things had gotten weird. She'd seen Ino's smirk when he'd said that, and knew something bad was going to happen. Making him make a promise like that was underhanded, and if she'd had the confidence she would have gone out and stopped him from being tricked like that. Unfortunately, she wasn't, and what happened next would haunt her waking moments.

As the promise left his mouth, her eyes focused in on a change in his chakra. It built up so quick that if she'd had her Byakugan deactivated. From what she could see, it was just pure chakra that enveloped Naruto's head and then quickly shot through the rest of his body.

Naruto's reaction to the spike was also something that made her eye widen. His entire body tightened, realization crossing his face. Obviously he knew that something had happened, although considering the way he followed after Ino, it was likely that he didn't know what had happened.

Now Hinata was stalking (er, 'retrieving intelligence on') Naruto for a whole other new reason. She knew that Naruto wasn't prone to random chakra spikes from the times she'd watched him, which meant that the spike had to come from somewhere. Or someone. And seeing as Ino was the only other person with chakra in the area, Hinata was certain that she had done something. It didn't help Ino any that her family's techniques specialized around mind related techniques.

Hinata focused her eyes through the wall, watching them as they went through the restaurant. She was not going to let Ino trick Naruto again without knowing exactly what was going on. While she may have been shy, even she knew how to stand up once in a while. That she was doing it from a distance and through a wall meant nothing at all.

In her defense, it _was_ a step in the right direction.

**-xxxxx-**

Naruto leaned back, trying to see all of the man in front of him. He had heard of people like this; large, intimidating, and worked in bars to keep the riff raff out. His large, bulky frame seemed quite out of place, seeing all of the other, smaller workers attending to the customers. At least, if you didn't count the overly flowery apron he was wearing. Naruto didn't really notice, as he wasn't used to seeing people who were so…broad.

In an Akimichi sense, this wouldn't be difficult to believe. This man though, had no markings that indicated he was an Akimichi, and rather than a broad stomach, he was broad shouldered, and skinny waist. Comically so. His short, dark hair was covered in a tight fishnet hairnet, signifying he worked in the kitchen. He had a white vest, and dark brown hakama styled pants. The entire getup seemed mismatched, and out of place; at least it did to Naruto. Ino seemed to brighten upon seeing him.

"Welcome to our establishment, how may I help you?" He asked in a bright, and very chipper manner. He paused as he looked them over, spending an extra second on Naruto, before throwing his arms into the air. "Ino-chan! It's been to long!"  
"Hello Yasuhiro-san." Ino replied. "How have things been since I was last here?"  
Yasuhiro chuckled. "Hohoho, business is booming! Sometimes I have to wonder if you Yamanaka are spreading good gossip about this place to make sure we stay in business!"

Ino gestured to herself, looking innocent. "Me? Spread rumors of how business here is beyond exceptional? Yasuhiro-san, you flatter yourself."

Yasuhiro laughed rather loudly, getting a glare from some of the nearby customers. "Too true!" Switching to a more business-like attitude, he motioned them forward. "We have a private booth set up upstairs for you, just like you asked. Just make sure you don't do anything…uncouth."

Naruto blinked at the word, 'uncouth', wondering what it meant and why it seemed to be aimed at him. Ino understood, and quickly swatted Yasuhiro's arm. "We're just going to have a little talk. Naruto here promised he'd help me get some information on something, and wanted to buy me lunch while we talked. Isn't that right Naruto?"

Naruto's head nodded mechanically. He found it difficult to swallow as his eyes looked over some of the customers and employees walking about. While Ino's back was turned, several people seemed to give him a once over, like they were trying to remember who he was. A few people gave his a glare out of the corner of their eyes, causing Naruto to shiver. Kami, his luck couldn't get any worse today, could it?

"Naruto, can I talk to you for a second?" Yasuhiro said, placing his extremely large hand on Naruto's shoulder, nearly knocking Naruto to his knees.

Ino looked between Yasuhiro and Naruto, realization of some sort crossing her face. "I'll head upstairs and order us something to drink. Don't be to rough on Naruto while I'm gone."

Naruto grimaced, "Please don't leave me alone with him."

Ino ignored him, waving to the other employees as she walked past them on her way out. "Hi everyone!"

Naruto watched her walk away, several of the employee's fiddling with knives and different other cooking appliances that made Naruto nervous. As soon as Ino had gone enough upstairs to be out of earshot, all eyes focused on Naruto. Naruto swallowed nervously, wondering if he was going to get out of this alive.

One of the cooks leaned over the counter, his knife hanging loosely from his hand. "What are your intentions with Ino-san?"

Naruto tilted his head to the side, forgetting about the knife as he thought over the question. "What do you mean? We're just here to talk."

"Really? That's all?" Yasuhiro said, his hand still on Naruto's shoulder. Seeing Naruto nod, he released him and gave him a light shove towards the stairs. "Best not keep her waiting then."

"Be on your best behavior!" One of the waiters said, giving him a halfhearted glare. "If you don't, we'll know."

"She'll be easy to buy for since she always seems to be on one of those damned diets, so I'd recommend the tonkatsu* for yourself. The cabbage topping it's quite excellent if I do say so myself." The first cook said with a chuckle as he spun the knife in his hand, going back to the food he had to prepare.

"…I'm confused." Naruto muttered. One second, they seemed to be ready to skewer him, and the next they were…giving him advice.

"We all know Ino personally, and want to see the best for her." Yasuhiro said, seeming to read Naruto's thoughts. "Think of us as one big, overprotective family."

Naruto nodded, immediately able to picture that from his own desire to have something similar. Heading to the stairs, he glanced back once to see several of the other waiters giving him a thumbs up. Grinning despite himself, he quickly walked up the stairs.

Seeing Ino in the corner of the room brought back the reality of what was going on back to him. He had agreed to tell Ino what she wanted to know about Sasuke, and was then tricked into promising to help her chase Sasuke. Thanks to his inability to break his promises, he knew that he was going to be stuck until…she got Sasuke.

He was eternally screwed.

Sliding into the booth on the opposite side of her, he took a small breath to steady himself. All he had to do was survive this, then avoid Ino as much as possible so that she wouldn't get the chance to figure out that he couldn't break his promise. He silently asked Kami to have mercy on him.

He had no idea what he was in for.

"So, where should we start?" Ino asked, trying to seem conversational.

Naruto looked at his menu, noticing the prices, and weighed them against his wallet, Gama-chan. "Uh, I don't know. What did you want to get to eat?"

Ino shrugged. "I'll just get a bowl of rice."

"And then?" Naruto asked innocently.

"Just the rice."

"Really?" For Naruto, that was strange. When Iruka took him out, he took advantage of his hospitality as much as possible. After all, he usually wasn't paying for the food, and he needed the energy for later. "Wouldn't it be good to –"

Ino leveled a dirty look on him. "Just the rice."

Catching the hint, Naruto shut his mouth. Hiding behind his menu, he looked at the tonkatsu and figured how much it cost verse how much he had on him. After taking a moment to slowly to the math in his head, he figured he had more than enough to spend on it. Especially if Ino was only getting rice, and he paid for her meal.

When their waiter arrived, they gave him their orders. Naruto noticed that as he ordered the tonkatsu with cabbage, the waiter gave him an approving nod, which made him brighten. Ino, on the other hand, got a rather disappointed look that went completely missed as Ino was already staring across the table at him. The waiter took their menu's, and walked away hastily. Naruto briefly wondered if he could to a replacement with him. He did not want to be interrogated while he ate; good food or not.

Not a moment after he'd left, Ino jumped right back into their previous conversation. "Alright, so what exactly do you know about Sasuke?"

Naruto, caught flatfooted as he'd still been thinking of escape, took a moment to think up an answer to that. "Not a lot. He leaves before we can do any kind of teamwork activity that will reveal anything about what he does."

Ino sighed, shaking her head. She'd known that Naruto would be a very, _very_ bad person to interrogate on matters like this, but she had to make the most of it before someone else thought to. "Okay, how about we start small? What does he like?"

"Training, I guess. Oh, and tomatoes." Naruto said quickly.

Ino brightened at this. That was definitely information that she hadn't heard before. "Really? That's good to know. What about dislikes?"

Naruto's face scrunched up, trying to think of something that Sasuke didn't like…specifically. "Uh, a lot of things?"  
Ino sighed. "I see. What about his tastes in girls? Has he tried to make any advances on Forehead?"

"Who?"

Ino blinked, realizing her mistake. "Sakura. Has he tried hitting on Sakura?"

"Oh, nope." Naruto shook his head. "Sakura's tried, but Sasuke doesn't…"

Naruto trailed off, remembering the strange look Sasuke had given Sakura as he'd left. Ino leaned forward worriedly, having never seen Naruto with a look of thoughtfulness before. "What? Sasuke doesn't what?"

Naruto shook his head. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? You knew a second ago."

"No, that was what I thought. I don't know what Sasuke thinks." Naruto said, nodding to himself.

"Oh come on!" Ino hissed. "This is to help me get closer to Sasuke-kun. Don't hold back anything."

Naruto felt his gut clench and it took everything he had to stop himself from doubling over. Not wanting to be in pain for the rest of the meal, he thought faster than he'd ever thought before. Putting it together that the pain was coming from his promise, he thought of something that would sate Ino's interest. Within seconds, he had something. "Sasuke doesn't really like long hair."

There was a blissful silence, Naruto sighing in relief as his gut stopped hurting, and Ino struck dumb by Naruto's declaration. Slowly dragging herself from her stunned state, she spoke slowly. "How…how do you know?"

Naruto chewed on his lip. He knew that Ino would not be happy with what he was going to tell her, and that there was no way around telling her without him being in pain. Sighing in resignation, he answered slowly. "Because I made it up."

"Made what up?" Ino asked. She'd never felt so confused, and Naruto's vague answers were making it sound like he knew more than he was telling.

"I was the one who started the rumor that Sasuke liked girls with long hair."

Ino's world collapsed in that moment. She was a smart girl, second only to Sakura in terms of 'smartness'. However, this was foreign to her. That Naruto had started a rumor that had caused all of the girls (excluding Hinata) attending the Academy to grow out their hair in an attempt to impress him seemed outrageous.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she missed the waiter's return with their dishes. Naruto did not. "Itadakimasu!" He shouted, digging in with no lack of gusto, Naruto nearly cried as the taste seemed to embrace his mouth. "Oh man, this is so good! Ramen is still better, but man! I'd eat here another time, any time."

Ino blinked, looking down at her abysmal excuse for a meal. She didn't bother sighing, knowing that if she ate too much, she would loss the figure she'd worked so hard to get. Besides that she'd eaten lunch with her teammates, which meant she'd gotten more than full enough on the barbeque Choji enjoyed so much.

Biting her lip, Ino pressed for answers to her previous question. "How do you make the rumor that Sasuke liked long hair? I mean, it's you! Who did you talk to that would spread the story?"

Naruto paused in his veracious eating, a small bit of cabbage sticking to his face. Picking it off and tossing it into his mouth, he recounted the experience that had eventually shaped many of the Academy girls lives.

**FLASHBACK**

Naruto had just gotten done playing with some of the other boys his age, watching them go as their parents quickly herded them away. He felt empty without anyone around, and found himself sitting in the sandbox. While he didn't have the tools to make a sandcastle or anything like that, he was doing his best to make a sand recreation of a mountain. It helped pass the time, and seemed to help numb the pain left from the loss of the other boys departure.

"What are you doing?" A small, timid voice from behind him asked.

Naruto jumped, crushing his sand mountain underfoot as he turned to see the person behind him. His eyes widened in confusion at this new person, before quickly relaxing. It was a young girl, with unusual pink hair, a red and white dress, and a red ribbon that held her hair back. From what he knew of girls, they were usually less likely to hit him than guys were.

If only he knew.

"I'm building a…" Naruto looked at his now inverted mountain, groaning in exasperation. "It was supposed to be the Hokage Mountain with my face on it."

"Oh." The girl said, looking at ground sheepishly. She hadn't meant to startle him, she'd just been curious. "Um, my name is Sakura."

Naruto smiled widely. "My name's Uzumaki Naruto!"

Sakura gave a small smile, looking at the remains of his mountain. "Would you like some help?"

Naruto nodded vigorously. "Yeah sure!" His smile seemed to grow brighter. "Thanks!"

The two of them played for another hour or so before they had a crude likeness of Naruto's face imprinted into the dirt mountain. They played a bit more on the adjoining playground before Sakura became tired and had to sit down and catch her breath. Naruto hung upside-down nearby, still playing while he waited for Sakura to come play again.

Sakura watched Naruto keep playing, his stamina amazing her all the while. As she watched, she got the feeling she'd met him somewhere before. Or at least, seen him. "Hey Naruto-san? Do you go to the Academy?"

Naruto stopped swinging, still handing from the bars. "Eh? Academy?"

"The Shinobi Academy." Sakura replied.

Naruto brightened. "Oh yeah! That place is awesome. We're learning how to be real shinobi like Hokage-jiji!"

"Hokage…jiji?" Sakura said, not sure she heard him right. After all, her parents had taught her to respect people like the Hokage, saying he was a very powerful person. Yet here was a kid who was unafraid of calling the elderly man his grandfather. Her budding mind put it to the side, another big question coming to mind. "So, you know the other kids in class?"

Naruto nodded, more coherent than he was used to as he was experiencing a new level of thought processing due to the amount of blood now in his head. "Yeah I know some of the guys." He rubbed his chin in thought. "There's Kiba, and Shikamaru, and Sasuke – "

"You know Sasuke?" Sakura asked, her mind racing with the possibilities. She had recently seen him at the Academy, and was quickly smitten. There was so much that she didn't know, it worried her. After all one couldn't just go find out more about a person in a book.

Naruto scowled at the name. He didn't like Sasuke, not one bit. To him, Sasuke was cool and got all the girls attention and was a show off. Just because the teachers liked him, he was special. Well Naruto was special to! He was just special in that no one helped him, and he was still able to keep pace with everyone.

Unknowing of Naruto's thoughts, Sakura prodded for more information. "Do you know what Sasuke likes?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, we don't talk to much."

Sakura pouted. "Aw, not even a little? Now I'll never know what he likes in girls."

Normally, Naruto wouldn't have thought of this, or thought of it so quickly. However, being upside-down and having more blood in your head than you can remember does help your thought process. "Oh! I heard him say something once!"

Sakura brightened. "Really? What did he say?"

"He said, 'Guys like girls with long hair 'cause they're really pretty'. That's what he said." Naruto lied. He didn't know what Sasuke liked, but he did know what _he_ liked.

Sakura nodded. "Long hair." Sakura pushed herself to her feet, suddenly running off. "Bye!"

Naruto blinked owlishly, watching her go. "Uh…bye Sakura-chan." Watching her go, he wondered if she actually listened to what he'd said.

Later, Sakura told Ino and their friends that Sasuke like girls with long hair. Their friends were even less tight lipped about the subject, and were quickly telling others what she'd been told. Within the next year, the hair length at the Academy grew out, and somehow a poor Sasuke was none the wiser.

**FLASHBACK END**

Ino listened to the story intently, unable to comprehend the full depth of what had just been said. Of all the girls in the Academy, she and Sakura had been the most devoted to Sasuke. If he wanted something, they did everything they could to impress him. Hair, smarts, and dresses, Ino had been certain that she'd been losing to Sakura. And all this time, she and Sakura had devotedly grown out their hair in an attempt to impress Sasuke.

Ino frowned at that thought. "Wait, why did you tell Sakura that Sasuke likes long hair?"

"I didn't. I said, 'Guys like girls with long hair'. Sakura just told people that Sasuke like it." Naruto said, shrugging as he tried to eat some of his food.

"But why?"

Naruto sighed exasperatedly. "Because I thought all guys liked girls with long hair. I didn't know other guys had 'preferences' back then."

Ino nodded, "Okay, that makes sense. That doesn't explain - "

She cut herself off as her mind went into overdrive. Naruto had thought that all guys liked girls with long hair. Why? What would make him think that all guys thought that way? It didn't take long to come to a reasonable conclusion.

Naruto liked girls with long hair…and Sakura had gotten every girl in the Academy to grow their hair long by accidentally creating that rumor.

That thought made her freeze. Slowly, an impish grin crossed her face. "So _that's_ why you like Forehead!"

Naruto nodded, trying to shove some more food into his mouth before Ino asked him any more questions. By this time, he didn't know what Ino was thinking, and he didn't care. He didn't want to miss out on the meal and have it go cold because he was talking the entire time. That would be rude to the cooks.

A plan formed in Ino's head, taking in everything that Naruto said and using it to her current advantage. "Don't tell Sakura what you told me."  
Naruto rolled his eyes. "If I did that, she'd pound me into the ground. She's grown out her hair for Sasuke for something I said."

"She probably didn't remember that you said it. She just heard what Sasuke liked and went on." Ino said dismissively. Rounding on Naruto she jabbed a finger at him. "You're going to keep your mouth shut about it."

Naruto nodded, already knowing that he _couldn't_ say anything about it to Sakura. "Okay."

"And you need to distract Sakura from Sasuke when she tries to ask him out. He may not like her now, but if she keeps it up she might actually get close to him." Ino said, thinking over how close Sakura had gotten to Sasuke since they'd been on a team. "Hey, why don't you ask Sakura on a – "

"No!" Naruto shouted, eyes widening in fear. He'd already promised Sakura that he wouldn't ask her out. After the pain in his gut from when Ino had wanted to know everything about Sasuke that he knew, he didn't want to find out what would happen if two promises overlapped like Ino was about to do.

Ino was surprised at his reaction. She'd figured that Naruto would be only to willing to ask Sakura out, especially since he had a track record for asking her out. "Okay, geez." Ino muttered. "It was only a suggestion."

'_To you.'_ Naruto thought, not wanting to think about what would have happened if Ino had finished what she'd been about to say.

"Alright then," Ino said, leaning on her elbows. "What do you know about Sasuke-kun's training schedule?"

The rest of the meal was spent with Ino asking for specifics on the times of their missions and training exercises to get between Sasuke and Sakura. She told Naruto that she planned on coming to him for his help on getting some other things, seeing as he had a guys opinion, and she was going to need that soon. Naruto wanted to yell that he wasn't her servant but couldn't say anything, his mouth latched shut once she'd mentioned that it was to help her look good for Sasuke. Instead, he shook in silent rage, his mouth betraying him by agreeing that he'd be there to help. He'd been unable to finish his meal after that, asking the waiter for a box the next time he came around so that the food wouldn't go to waste. Ino hadn't seemed to notice his distress, only looking rather despondent about not being able to talk more.

After paying for the bill and walking Ino home, Naruto began his trek home. He was now under Ino's thumb so long as she told him that what she wanted him to do would help her get Sasuke. Having only been manipulated like that with Mizuki, he found a budding resentment for Ino. He'd just been trying to be nice after she'd helped him find a gift for the Sandaime, and then she'd turned around and made him make a promise that he hadn't made.

Sure, she didn't know that Naruto couldn't break his promises, but the point remained that she had tricked him. In a sense, it was a betrayal. The only real differences between hers and Mizuki's were their gender, what they wanted Naruto to help steal, and Mizuki knew the secret he used to hurt Naruto while Ino was doing so blindly.

Scowling, he shoved his hands into his pockets. The day had been good at certain points; the nice civilians, seeing the loyalty of the employee's at the restaurant, and the food. However, the trick Ino had pulled on him had put a black mark on the day that seemed to blot out most of the good. It was amazing what that one thing could do to his day.

Not only that, but it was Naruto's first date and it had completely sucked. He'd done everything right as far as he knew, and it was still a flop. He knew it wasn't his fault; he'd watched a lot of other people's dates, how girls reacted to what the guys did or said, and made sure not to make the same mistakes. Ino just wasn't the sort of girl he wanted to go out with a second time.

"Wait…" Naruto mulled over that thought. Ino and Sakura had been best friends in the Academy, and were more alike than anyone he knew. Slowly, he thought of how the date might have been if Sakura had been the one in Ino's shoes. After several moments thought, he realized that he couldn't find much of a difference in how the dates would go besides him getting punched when he told the story.

Arriving at his apartment, he quickly unlocked the door and stepped in. Draping his jacket onto the back of one of his chairs, he walked into his bedroom and sat down on the bed. For the first time in his life, Naruto was going to look for deep, thought out reasons why he liked Sakura.

It would be a long, sleepless night for Naruto, that would only bring more questions than answers.

**-xxxxx-**

If anyone had walked past one of the benches on the far side of the Akimichi Restaurant, they would have come across a very interesting sight. Hyuuga Hinata, clan heiress and one of the newest rookie's of Konohagakure no Sato, had a bright smile on her face. She was known quite well for being introverted and shy, but now looked happier than she ever had before.

She gently ran her fingers through her hair, sighing at the strange new knowledge she had gotten from Naruto and Ino's conversation. While she was grateful that Ino had gotten Naruto's team meeting and mission information, she didn't care about that. She already knew that stuff from previous experiences. No, what she was pleased with was some of the new insight into Naruto that she'd never known.

Naruto liked girls with long hair. He hadn't outright said it, but he implied it both during his story and afterwards. And to think, all of this time Hinata had kept her hair short as her own way of rebelling against the Uchiha fan girls who grew out their hair. It was strange to other Hyuuga's who traditionally grew out their hair, but none of them questioned it.

It was a sacrifice in a way, as Hinata loved having her hair long. At one point, before she'd heard the rumor of Sasuke liking long hair, she'd grown it out slightly so that it reached her shoulders, and had enough length that she could style her hair more than simply letting it lay as it was. After hearing the rumor, she'd only left her bangs long as a reminder of her commitment.

Now though, it was different. It wouldn't matter if people thought she was an Uchiha fan girl, or rejoining her family's traditional ways; she was doing it for herself and Naruto. And maybe, just maybe, that would help get Naruto's attention.

Sighing contently, she went over some of the other information in her head. Due to the spike from earlier, she'd kept a careful eye on Naruto's chakra coils when she wasn't reading his lips. At several moments during their conversation, his chakra glowed brighter from every tenketsu (chakra pressure point). Normally, she couldn't see the points as she had learned to focus her eyes in a different way. However, Naruto was apparently different, as his tenketsu glowed enough to distinguish them without having to focus on them during those moments. Then they'd die out, and she was left wondering what was going on with Naruto.

Chewing lightly on her lip, she slowly formed a plan. She knew nothing about how tenketsu responded to certain stimuli, or even how to see them clearly without them showing themselves like Naruto's had. So all she had to do was learn how to see them as though they were showing themselves. Then, once she found the ability to talk to him, she would confront him and see if he knew. If he didn't, then they'd be able to throw theories around and get closer. If he did know, then she would know something that possibly only he and she would know. It was a perfect plan.

Now all she needed was someone who could teach her to see tenketsu better, and the backbone to talk to Naruto. This was going to take a while.

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AN: And that's a wrap! Okay, first things first; this is tonkatsu.

**Tonkatsu** -Tonkatsu are deep fried pork cutlets. Tonkatsu is usually served with shredded cabbage or on top of cooked rice or with Japanese style curry rice.

Now that that's out of the way, I can continue.

The scene with Naruto and Ino in the restaurant felt a bit rushed, but I'll be honest…this is starting to feel way to shoujo for my tastes. I want action! Which is why next chapter will be jumping into the first test of the Chunin Exams (finally).

The 'long hair' idea doesn't feel mine, but unless someone knows if someone else has done it, I'm calling it. I like it because it seems odd, but it would make perfect sense. Sasuke is never shown caring if someone had long or short hair at any point in time in the manga or anime. And who and why would someone tell Sakura that Sasuke liked girls with long hair if he never said anything about girls anyways? It sounds like something Naruto would do if you ask me.

This chapter also brought in some much needed Hinata time. The reasoning of her following the conversation is two fold. One, the chakra thing. 'Cause it'll be easier to point out when the next part is explained. And two…while I like Hinata with short hair, she looks great with long hair, and deserved to be pointed in the right direction sooner rather than later.

Next chapter; _Keep Your Change_. Where Naruto's team notices something different about the hyperactive blonde, and the Chunin Exams start!


	5. Keep Your Change

…I couldn't help it. My first action scene called to me, and demanded I write it. Because it was at the end, the rest kinda wrote itself to lead into it. So, for the second day in a row, let's begin the next chapter of Word of Honor!

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Disclaimer: I own the changes/revisions to the original story plot, but not the original story plot, characters, concept, or techniques. I'll own a few eventually…but not yet.

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Word of Honor

_Chapter 5:_ _Keep Your Change_

Things had been going smoothly for the past couple of weeks. Their teamwork had steadily grown, the few missions they'd undertaken had been completed without the usual fanfare, and the yelling portion of their dynamic had died down drastically. All in all, they were working like a well oiled machine.

Which is why Kakashi knew something was up.

They hadn't worked this well before, before during, or directly after their mission to Nami no Kuni; their first contact with Zabuza being the only exception. Now, by some unknown phenomenon, it was suddenly being pulled together? He didn't think so. Nothing is _that_ easy, even if it did give him more time for other things.

Peaking over his book, he watched his students as they painted a fence for their customer. Naruto hadn't really changed, his painting skills a sure testament to that as they were all over the fence as he tried to paint as quickly as possible. Paint flew everywhere on the fence, somehow remaining on the fence despite the wild strokes. This was the normal Naruto.

Sasuke and Sakura were more collected in their painting. Well, Sasuke was. Sakura painted, yes. But then she'd look at Sasuke, giggle, and then try and move closer to him as she painted. Sasuke had already anticipated what she was doing though, and moved further down whenever she tried to get close. If she hadn't been soiling the name of kunochi everywhere, it would have almost been funny.

Kakashi looked back to his book. He remembered the good old days during the war, when kunochi had to take their jobs seriously or else things would go to hell before they knew it. The standards were so much higher, though the reason behind it was the training methods were admirably more strict. Good times.

He snickered at the thought, turning it into a giggle before his students could hear it. None of them responded, meaning they hadn't caught his near slip up. _'What a shame, I really wanted to mess with them a little.'_ He thought, a quote from the book in his mind, just waiting to be used on his unsuspecting students. Now if only they paid more attention.

With a heavy sigh, he reluctantly put his book away. They were getting close to being done, and he needed to reign them in before they started on someone else's fences. That had happened the last time they'd done this particular mission, due to Naruto's over eager attitude, and had earned them an off duty assignment of removing said paint from the fences. Dealing with an emo, a fan girl, and a hyperactive blonde was something he'd rather not have to do for longer than the mission required.

That's when it happened. It was so sudden, even Kakashi was startled into silence shortly thereafter. Naruto bumped into Sasuke. A very normal occurrence, seeing as even with the small space left, he was all over the fence. However, when he bumped into Sasuke, instead of yelling at him to get out of his way or shout some obscenity, he'd apologized. _Apologized._ Now he _knew_ something was wrong with Naruto.

His teammates noticed to, and appeared to be just as interested as he was. Well, Sasuke was.

"It's about time you started respecting Sasuke-kun." Sakura said, a triumphant look on her face. In her mind any 'victory' for Sasuke, big or small, was just as much a victory for her as well.

Naruto raised any eyebrow at Sakura. "What are you talking about? I bumped into him, and apologized. What's the big deal?"

Sasuke gave him a flat stare. "Well, normally you'd yell at me for being in your space, even if you'd just moved into my area. What gives?"

"Maybe I just got tired of yelling? I mean, after a while, it gets uncomfortable, you know?" Naruto said, shrugging as though it were common knowledge. It was, though Sakura might have been the exception to that.

Kakashi held back a grin as he watched the strange banter. Books were all well and good, but when comedy was involved, he watched his team. And this was always funny to watch, and never got old.

"Naruto, why won't you just admit that you're jealous of Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said, huffing as though Naruto had done some thing wrong.

Naruto shook his head, chuckling under his breath. "Jealous? Of what? Mindless fan girls who constantly chase after me? I'd rather be stuck teaching at the Academy than have to deal with that." Naruto said, shuddering at the thought. '_Academy over fan girls, any day of the week.'_

Silence. Then, "Who are you and what have you done with Naruto?" Sasuke asked, his Sharingan out and spinning rapidly, as though hoping to see past whatever genjutsu Naruto had placed them under.

Kakashi chuckled. He'd already tried to 'dispel the genjutsu' when Naruto first appoligized. This was only too real, and getting better by the moment.

Naruto scowled. "Hey, just 'cause I don't apologize for every little thing doesn't mean you can just accuse me of not being me teme!"

Sasuke stared while Sakura fumed as Naruto 'returned' to his normal insulting ways. Slowly, Sasuke cut the chakra to his eyes and shook his head. "Yeah, you're Naruto alright. You're the only person I know who insults me like that."

Sakura felt rather out of place, looking between the accepting Sasuke, and the still fuming Naruto. Deciding to add her two yen, she asked what was on everyone's mind. "Wait, when did you become…polite?"

"Eh?" Naruto asked, not expecting the question. Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he shrugged. "A couple of weeks ago? I'm still being taught some of this stuff."

Naruto flinched, realizing his mistake a moment to late. Sure enough, Sakura picked up on what he said. "Being taught? Well who's teaching you?"

Scrunching up his face in exasperation, Naruto growled. After Ino had told him why she was teaching him to have manners, and instructed him on what to say when asked about them, he'd been directing their attention elsewhere. The words came out smoothly, but made his throat feel like it was on fire. "Ino's been helping me become more of a gentleman so that I'll be more socially acceptable." The recited portion over, he muttered under his breath, "Whatever the hell that means."

"Ino?" Sakura asked, stars in the corners of her eyes. If Ino was too busy helping Naruto, or better yet dating him, then that meant that Sakura was closer to her Sasuke-kun than ever before!

'_**True love prevails! Sharrano!'**_Inner Sakura shouted, waving a banner with the word 'victory' written on it.

Unfortunately, Sasuke was actually interested in this particular subject. "Wait, you mean to say that Ino…second ranked kunochi in the Academy…has managed to teach you, the dead last, manners?" Seeing Naruto nod, Sasuke smirked. "Well what do you know, there are miracle's in the world. The impossible happened; Naruto is actually being polite."

Kakashi grinned. _'This is almost better than my book. It's got less of the really good parts, but the plot and drama is so spontaneous! I should bring popcorn to the team meetings from now on.'_

Sakura's entire attitude changed in an instant; from star struck to thunder struck. Sasuke was impressed by Ino's success? _**'Oh no, Ino's winning!'**_ Inner Sakura shouted, a shadow of Ino appearing and dropping an anvil on her Inner's head.

Naruto winced, knowing better than his teammates did how they were being manipulated by those words. _'Great, Ino's a relationship tactician.'_ Naruto mentally growled as he imagined Ino in soldier clothing shooting cannons at Sasuke and Sakura. Shaking his head, he turned back to the fence. "Yeah, yeah, fawn over Ino later. I've got important training to do after this, and I don't want to waste it talking about manners."

Sasuke actually looked flustered for a brief second before his calm façade returned and he picked up his own brush. Sakura was envisioning a second anvil being dropped on her Inner's head. Kakashi just kept quiet, wondering when their 'play' would restart.

"Hm, their teamwork has picked up over the month. And here I thought it was going to run into a glass ceiling." Kakashi muttered as he watched his students attack the fence, Naruto actually pausing from time to time to take his teammates words into consideration before changing his actions slightly.

Sighing contently, Kakashi leaned back against the fence opposite his team and stared up at the sky. As he did so, his eye caught something moving towards the Hokage's Tower. Focusing on it, he frowned slightly. _'Ah, so it's that time again? I wonder what I should tell the Hokage?'_

A moment later his team finished the fence, not having much to finish in the first place. Kakashi pulled out his book, figuring now was as good a time as any to send them off. "Alright you guys, I'm going to go submit this mission report."

"Then I'll go train." Sasuke said, beginning to walk in the direction of his favored training ground.

"Oh!" Sakura shouted as she pounced on Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun, wait. How about now, we go work on our teamwork, just the two of us…"

Sasuke glared at Sakura. "You're as weak as Naruto. If you have the time to bug me, go practice a jutsu or something." Glancing towards Naruto out of the corner of his eye as he walked away, he scowled at Sakura. "In fact, you're even weaker than Naruto."

Sakura winced as the words stung her. She'd always imagined herself as above Naruto in ability, but to hear that she was considered weaker –especially by her crush- was a harsh blow. She sulked as she stumbled after Naruto.

Naruto, who had begun to walk away when Sasuke had declared that he was going off to train, tried not to twitch as he realized he was being followed. Taking a deep breath, he took another step forward, turned on his heel and jabbed his finger in their direction. "Ha! What kind of rock is square with two holes in it? I can see right through that!"

From beneath the horribly made cardboard rock, Konohamaru and two of his friends emerged. "Ah, that's exactly what I'd expect from the man I view as my rival! You haven't gotten weak at all from the last time we met."

"Mah, it's just you Konohamaru." Naruto muttered. His attention drifted to the goggles on each of the kids heads, his eyes widening in recognition. "What's with the goggles?"

Konohamaru chuckled, grabbing the goggles proudly. "We're copying the old you Boss! Isn't it cool?"

Naruto's eyes glazed over slightly, remembering his own goggles hidden away in his dresser drawer. _'Kami, when was the last time I thought about them?'_ Naruto thought, outwardly looking unimpressed. "I see."

"What do you mean, 'I see'? That's cold Boss!" Konohamaru shouted.

Naruto rolled his eyes. It was amazing how loud Konohamaru could be when he wanted someone's attention. "So…what do you want?"

The girl of the group, Moegi, answered for Konohamaru who was sulking to his friend with a constant sniffle Udon. "We were just wondering if you were free right now Boss."

Naruto shook his head. "Nope, I'm headed off to train!"

Konohamaru, not missing a beat, jumped in outrage. "You said you'd play shinobi with us!"

"Oh…right." Naruto said, rubbing his head nervously. Since the 'Ino Incident', Naruto had made sure that he kept his promises to nonexistent. If he 'said' he'd do something, he wasn't held to it, and had more of a chance to choose. _'If I play with them, I won't get a chance to train. But…I kinda want a day to goof off. Especially since I can use them as an ironclad excuse if Ino shows up!'_ Naruto brightened. "Alright, let's get started!"

As the trio cheered their victory, another voice cut in. "Why would a shinobi play shinobi?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes at Naruto, remembering what Sasuke had said. _'I'm lower than a shinobi who plays with kids? You've got to be kidding me.'_

Meanwhile, Konohamaru was coming to all the wrong conclusions about the situation. "Ah, not bad Boss." He said, elbowing Naruto in the side. When Naruto gave him a confused look, he held up his pinky. "She's your…this."

Sakura fumed, mentally begging Naruto to give her a reason. Surprisingly, Naruto waved his hand dismissively. "Don't jump to conclusions. She's my teammate."

Konohamaru's eyes narrowed, his opinion quickly changing as he looked her over once more. "Wow…you're right, you got more class than that. I mean, look at that ugly forehead." He squinted his eyes, completely missing Sakura's glare and Naruto's pleading look. "Is she even a girl?"

Naruto looked between Sakura and Konohamaru, trying to decide who he liked more as Sakura's eyes seemed to become all white, and he felt like he was looking at death. _'Hm, Sakura or Konohamaru…this is actually hard. On the one hand is my teammate, on the other is my willing friend and faithful student. I knew I should've just gone to a training ground instead of staying here. Wait a minute…of course! I know what to do!'_

"RUN AWAY!" Naruto shouted, grabbing the three kids by the back of their shirts as he took off. He could hear Sakura's screech of rage and footsteps not too far behind, and pushed himself a little bit faster.

'_Screw normal training, running with three kids weighing me down and a woman's wrath awaiting me if I fail is perfect!'_ Naruto thought, using chakra to stick to a fence he nearly crashed into as he tried to turn a corner. He noticed a guy and girl looking at him with a surprised look as he ran past them, but didn't notice much as he was in a hurry.

"Get back here Naruto!" Sakura yelled, barely avoiding the same two people as she skidded to a halt before rushing around them.

The duo watched the odd chase retreat around another corner before the guy smirked at the girl. "Well that was interesting. If all the brats around here are as stupid and weak as those two, this'll be a lot easier than we thought."

The girl rolled her eyes, adjusting a giant fan behind her back. "Yeah, whatever Kankuro. We still need to keep our eyes open. Just because they're weak doesn't mean that they're all weak."

"Whatever you say Temari." Kankuro said dismissively.

Both of them missed the two teens in the tree nearby, watching their every move. One watched in curiosity, having noticed them earlier and decided to follow. The other simply looked on with barely suppressed killing intent.

**-xxxxx-**

Iruka glared at Kakashi, unable to believe what he'd just said. Worse than that even, Kurenai and Asuma said nothing to contradict what he'd said. _'Yes, they aren't my students, but to think of them as soldiers? This isn't a war!'_

Sarutobi sighed at the stare off. He'd known that Iruka was well justified in believing what he was saying, having taken the test two years after he'd become a genin. However, it was also the jonin's decision in the matters of their team, and meant far more than an Academy Instructor's.

"If you really feel that they aren't ready, why don't you test them for yourself?" Kakashi said, his eye not wavering in the slightest.

If Iruka had gained their attention before, Kakashi had just put them all on edge. There was no pretest for the Chunin Exams; just the jonin sensei's approval, and a minimum required mission count of eight. They had heard people object to the jonin's decisions before, but had never seen a jonin push back. Hushed whispers carried through the room, most being bets of who would likely win the debat.

Iruka paled slightly, but was intrigued by Kakashi's challenge. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

Kakashi grimaced, but explained what he was thinking without hesitation. "It's actually pretty straightforward. You think up a test of a shinobi skill that you remember them either excelling or failing at that, if they pass, will allow them to continue on to the Chunin Exams. If they fail your test, then they won't be allowed to enter."

The murmuring increased, most chunin now thoroughly confused. Iruka however, understood what Kakashi was getting at. "I see, so you want me to prove that they _are_ ready to take the exams." He scowled as he looked over Kakashi. "What if I give them a test that I know that they'll fail at?"

Kakashi sighed. "Then I guess they'll be pushed to their limits, which is what they need to understand if they want to survive in the shinobi world."

Iruka scowled. He already knew that he was going to accept, and had already made a plan of action. He figured that while Sakura was the 'weakest link' on the team, Naruto was the wild card they would need if they were to truly survive the second test. Since he knew that Naruto could take on a chunin by blindsiding them, he was going to test Naruto where he lacked most strength; his mind.

"Alright Kakashi, I accept." Iruka ignored the other chunin as they whispered. _'Let them talk.'_ He thought, staring down Kakashi, who's expression hadn't changed since they began talking.

Kakashi felt his team needed the exam; the pain, and real life experience would help them to grow while humbling them. They way they were now, should that not be severely beaten out of them, they'd die. That being said, he also figured that a smaller test wouldn't hurt their chances. Especially since it was their former sensei.

What could possibly go wrong?

**-xxxxx-**

Naruto laughed loudly as he ran away from Konohamaru and his friends, dodging and weaving to avoid the 'shuriken' that they were throwing. They had long since left Sakura in their dust, and had finally gotten around to playing 'shinobi'. Despite Sakura's moaning that a shinobi shouldn't play games like 'shinobi' with kids, he was having fun. At the beginning, their aim had been horrible. After a few pointers though, they'd rapidly begun to improve and had actually become a challenge to dodge when they worked together. Who would have thought that with just shuriken and teamwork, _children_ could take on a newly minted genin. Dead Last of the Academy, notwithstanding.

It was still infinitely easier than the fight with Haku, but then dodging high speed needles was nearly impossible compared to the few shuriken they could throw at a time. Twisting in a way that many would think impossible for him he slid on his side as he flipped to his feet, shuriken in between each finger of each hand and arms crossed over his chest. "My turn."

The three children had no time to think as he unleashed his shuriken, bouncing two off of each of them. They pouted as they were forced to admit defeat. Konohamaru, never one to stay down in the dumps for long, rounded on Naruto with stars in his eyes. "Wow, that was so cool Boss! Can you teach us how to throw like that?"

Naruto grinned. "Sure."

As he showed them how to hold their shuriken to throw them the way he just had, his mind trailed off in nostalgia. Iruka had helped him with a variant of this particularly awesome technique, giving pointers where they needed to be, and adjusting himself so that he wouldn't poke his eye out with the shuriken before he even got around to throwing it. Now that he was teaching it to someone else, he could finally understand why Iruka enjoyed teaching.

When they became frustrated, instead of getting frustrated with them, Naruto had to keep cool. Adjusting their arms to the way that he instinctively knew how to position them was actually harder than he thought, but by the time he was teaching Moegi, she'd caught on to what he'd been saying and was able to pick it up faster than the boys. It was a learning experience, as much as it was a teaching experience. And he couldn't be prouder of his 'pupils'.

In a nearby tree, dressed in Ame shinobi garb, Iruka watched Naruto training the three Acadmey students. "Hm, Naruto looks like he's doing well." Tilting the hat he wore so that it completely covered his face, he sighed. "Forgive me Naruto, but I can't let you take that exam. You aren't ready."

He waited until Moegi had thrown her shuriken again before finally beginning the 'test'. Leaping out fast than any of them could see, Iruka scooped Moegi under his arm, leaping onto an adjacent building before they could realize anything was up. Since all eyes had been on Moegi, they were relatively fast in their realization of her disappearance.

Oddly, it was Naruto who found him first, his eyes narrow and fists clenched. "Who the heck are you?"

"I'm here to ensure that you do not participate in the upcoming Chunin Exams." Iruka said, his voice masked with carefully applied chakra.

"What Chunin Exams?" Naruto asked warily.  
Iruka paused, cursing Kakashi under his breath. "Surely you were told about the upcoming Chunin Exams."

"Nope. Never heard of them." Naruto said, sticking a finger into his ear to clean it out. Whoever this guy was, he was getting on his nerves with his stupid questions. Of _course_ he'd heard about the stupid exams! Ino hadn't shut up about them for the past week, dragging him around in a search for the 'perfect outfit' to impress Sasuke in. They never found one that was good enough, but it certainly made an impression on the importance of the exams…fan girl shopping aside of course.

"Hm, well then I guess I have no choice." Iruka said, spreading his feet apart to enable him to flee faster. "Now that you know of the exams, I cannot allow you to participate! If you choose to ignore my warning, you will never see your little friend again."

Moegi, who'd been shouting obscenities beyond her years the whole time, turned her eyes to Naruto in desperation. "Boss! Help me!"  
"Put Moegi down you bully!" Naruto shouted, his knees bent to leap at any moment. However, before he could move, the Ame shinobi disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto's face scrunched up in rage as he began running down the street. Halfway down, he turned back to Udon and Konohamaru who'd begun following him. "Stay there! I'll get her back!"

Both Konohamaru and Udon looked distraught at being told not to help their friend. Konohamaru cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting after Naruto. "You promise?"

Naruto didn't flinch or hesitate when he heard the question. Now wasn't the time to worry about the repercussions if he _didn't_ fulfill the promise. "I promise, I'll find Moegi and bring her back!"

There was a shiver than ran up his spine, and a cool feeling in his head.

Leaving the street and taking to the rooftops, he growled as he realized he couldn't see any trace of Moegi or her captor. Cursing under his breath, he turned to jump away. As he jumped, a small twinkle caught his eye, and caused him to pause before leaping again. Biting his lip, he hoped over to the object and picked it up.

It was a coin, a single yen. However, he had been jumping over the roofs to find the three kids earlier, and there hadn't been any sign of any yen previously.

Another flash caught his eye, and startled him into lifting his head. Scattered over several roofs was a trail of coins, leading straight to the forest. In a moment of brilliant thinking, he created a shadow clone to pick up the coins as he followed the trail.

**-xxxxx-**

In forest, Iruka mentally berated himself for kidnapping one of his own students even as he finished tying her to a tree. It was necessary that Naruto understood the true depths of being a shinobi _without_ having to take the Chunin Exams. As such, he'd taken every precaution he could before tying Moegi up. He'd covered his tracks, while also moving faster that Naruto would have been able to track. He hadn't had much time to set up traps, but he'd had more than enough time to set up the one thing that Naruto would be unable to defeat in his current state; a genjutsu. Layering it in a ring around his surroundings, should Naruto or anyone else get too close they would eventually find themselves running in circles.

Moegi glared daggers at him, obviously unaware of his true identity. "When Boss finds us, he's going to kick your butt!"

Iruka shook his head. "I've done my research on your 'Boss', he won't be making it here. Not without help."

Sticking her tongue out, Moegi continued to stick up Naruto. "Oh yeah? Well he had help!" Iruka looked down at the young girl, her impish grin slightly worrying. "I left him a trail to follow. He'll find us in no time!"

Sighing as he realized his time would normally have been cut down had he not taken the other precaution. Iruka chuckled. "I highly doubt that he had the ability to dispel the genjutsu I placed around us. After all, his records showed no indication of knowing even the basics of genjutsu."

Moegi suddenly looked a lot less sure of herself, biting her lip nervously. A moment later though, her resolve picked up full force. "He'll just plow right through it then! He'll plow right through it and beat you up!"

Iruka shook his head. _'Where do kids get ideas like this? I certainly didn't tell them that. I should probably correct that while I can.'_

"You're wrong." He admonished, coming off harsher than he initially meant to. Seeing her wince hurt him, but he had to make sure she didn't get any ideas. "No one, not even your friend, could possibly just plow through a genjutsu like a brick –"

"Heroic rescue!"

Iruka whirled around, his eyes widening in shock as Naruto leapt towards him.

"Boss!" Moegi shouted, obviously glad to see that he'd come.

Naruto's face was contorted in rage as he stared down the 'Ame shinobi'. He didn't bother with words, instead barreling towards his foe with single minded determination. Iruka was caught completely flat footed and was subsequently knocked from his branch as Naruto struck him.

Iruka caught himself in midair, flipping so he stuck to a nearby tree with chakra. Turning back to Naruto, he barely had a second to think before Naruto slammed his heel into his face and returned him on his decent to the ground.

"I can stick to trees to dumbass!" Naruto shouted. He gripped the tree that Iruka had momentarily occupied and used it as a springboard to fire himself down at Iruka again.

Iruka hit the ground and rolled to his feet, managing to cross his arms in defense against Naruto's assault. As Naruto's foot connected with his arms, he winced. _'When did Naruto get so damn strong?'_

With a heave, he managed to dislodge Naruto from their position, causing Naruto to backflip from their previous position into a ready stance on teh ground. Looking down at his former student, his eyes widened slightly as he noticed a small amount of what appeared to be white fire that came from beneath Naruto's hiate. His momentary distraction was all the incentive for Naruto to leap back into the fray. Charging forward, he shot his fist up into Iruka's chin in a fierce uppercut.

Iruka stumbled back, rubbing his jaw in shock. Naruto was doing far better than he actually had expected him to do against a superior opponent. Not only that, but he'd managed to land three solid blows to him thus far without the use of Kage Bunshin. If this was any measure of Naruto's strength by himself, he honestly didn't want to see how adding an army behind him would be.

Leaping back, he tried to put some distance between the two of them. Naruto would have none of it, throwing kunai as he rushed him. Iruka barely had enough time to block the kunai before Naruto leapt at him again. Reacting instinctively, Iruka swung one of his kunai in an attempt to stab him.

Realizing his mistake at the last moment, he had no room to correct his error and stop Naruto from ultimately being injured. To his shock, as he struck Naruto, he disappeared in a puff of smoke revealing a log in his place. Not a second later, Naruto dropped from the trees above and brought his heel down once more onto Iruka's head.

Iruka muttered curses under his breath, his hat falling to the side as he stumbled backwards. Naruto had some strange obsession with kicking him in the head it seemed, and he had no desire to take another blow to the head. Fleeing the scene, he shouted over his shoulder one last warning. "You'll regret it if you enter the exams!"

"And you'll regret ever messing with Uzumaki Naruto! Future Hokage!" Naruto shouted back.

Scowling after him, Naruto turned to untie Moegi when he noticed the hat. Remembering a part of how Kakashi beat Zabuza by smelling him out, a light went on in his head. Creating a shadow clone, he gave it instructions. "Find Kakashi-sensei. I don't care who tries to stop you, you get to him and give him the hat. He'll be able to find the guy no sweat."

"Can do Boss!" The clone said, saluting him as he grabbed the hat and took off into the forest.

Naruto sighed, jumping back up to help Moegi. Cutting through the ropes easily, he looked her over quickly. "Did he hurt you?"

Moegi shook her head. "No Boss, I'm fine." Stars seemed to shine in her eyes as she grinned at Naruto. "Boss, that was so cool! That Ame shinobi told me that you wouldn't be able to save me, but I believed in you the whole time! Even when he said that he put up a genjutsu to make you go in circles, I knew you'd be able to get through it –"

"Genjutsu?" Naruto tilted his head to the side in a confused manner. He hadn't noticed any genjutsu. Then again, that would explain why his clone hadn't followed him in and why the enemy shinobi wasn't ready for him. He hadn't expected Naruto to just miss the genjutsu and catch up; not that Naruto wasn't just as confused as to how he did that either.

Moegi nodded. "Yeah, and you got through it just as he tried to tell me that you couldn't! You're so awesome Boss!"

Naruto nodded, not quite listening as he squatted down and motioned for Moegi to hop onto his back. Moegi climbed aboard quickly, her arms gripping his neck rather tightly as they began the trek back to the boys. Her grip tightened a moment later when they heard a rustling in one of the trees in front of them.

Naruto was on guard for a second before relaxing immediately as his clone finally caught up to him. "Sorry I'm late, but I ran in a circle before I realized something was up."

Once again, Naruto tried to figure out how he'd just 'missed' a genjutsu. Brushing it off for the time being, he motioned the clone over. "Did you get all of them?"

"Yep!" The clone nodded, pulling all of the yen from his pocket. "Thanks for pointing us in the right direction Moegi!"

Moegi blushed at the praise, taking the yen back. "It was nothing, really."

Naruto shook his head. "I would have been totally lost if those coins hadn't flashed me down and set me on the right path."

Moegi nodded slowly, looking at the coins in her hands as they once again took off. While she was only nine years old, even she knew that old, rust covered coins did not just 'shine'. Which made her wonder; just what other awesome stuff could her Boss do if he could see the tiny shine from a little coin?

* * *

AN: Woohoo! ACTION!

…admittedly, my first action scene _ever_. So please, tell me what you think, and give me pointers on how to improve my fights!

I'm apologize to you all; I lied. The first exam test will be given a whole chapter…the next one!

I can totally see Kakashi sitting back and watching his students duke it out like some kind of sitcom. And you know, it's probably much more entertaining if you can keep from getting dragged into it. Ah well, that's the potential hazard of live entertainment. He should also never, _ever_ question what could go wrong. Especially when I'm writting. I know Murphy's Law, and I will use it! *insert evil laugh here*

I also loved how that split second between Sakura beating Konohamaru and Naruto up in the manga/anime and them running here changed their first encounter with the Sand Siblings. I didn't actually plan to write that, but Cat Girl (Kankuro: HEY!) wanted to make an appearance, so I wrote him and his siblings in.

Just so you all know, I used the 'test' from the anime where Iruka kidnapped Moegi and Naruto used Kage Bunshin to get her out. Only this time, Naruto beat Iruka up and plowed through a genjutsu using sheer willpower. Yeah…'cause he can do that.

Yes, _Keep Your Change_ had a _literal_ refereeing the money. It was mostly meant to showcase Naruto's slight changes as a more gentlemanly-type personality, though he is far from actually being one. He's just more likely to realize his mistakes, and correct them. It was also meant to show off one of the new talents that he will begin to exhibit due to his bloodline.

Next time; _The First Test_. You know what's coming, but will you guess the change to Naruto's test score? Later!


	6. The First Test

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. However, I am responsible for the characters, and their actions…mostly.

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Word of Honor

_Chapter 6: The First Test_

Team 7 stared at their old Academy building, each with their own thoughts about the upcoming Chunin Exam. Sasuke was interested, wondering if he'd be able to push his limits and become stronger by fighting shinobi from other countries. Sakura was nervous, not quite sure what she was getting herself into. And Naruto…

"Kami-sama, did I do something to anger you?" Naruto said to no one in particular as he stared at the Academy. He remembered how he'd said he'd rather teach at the Academy than be Sasuke, and wondered if Kami was using this as a way to test his resolve. "'cause if I did, I'm sorry and you don't have to try and punish me anymore. And if it's because of the log, I planted the required five saplings yesterday!"

"Naruto, what are you talking about?" Sasuke asked, questioning Naruto's fading sanity.

Naruto shook his head. "Nothing, let's just get in there and show just how awesome we are."

Both Sasuke and Sakura rolled their eyes at the way Naruto eagerly attempted to jump towards the Academy. He looked like a dog, running towards the Academy then returning to them with a look that begged them to pick up the pace. It was nice to know that he hadn't changed to much since being with Ino.

After walking up the first flight of stairs, they came across a crowd of chunin hopefuls trying to push their way into the room that said 301. Two genin stood outside the door, baring the way into the room. One other genin hopeful was sitting in front of the door, having been knocked to the ground one of the two guards.

"Ha! You plan on taking the Chunin Exam's with that?" The other 'door guard' said, smirking at the downed genin. "You should quit now. You're just a little kid."

His companion nodded in agreement. When the genin's female teammate made to push her way through as well, he backhanded her away from the door. His face never changing as he glared over the crowd. There was muttering from several of the other genin at his blatant attack on a fellow genin. "What did you say?"

His friend nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "This is our kindness. The Chunin Exam isn't easy…even we have failed it three times straight. Those that take this Exam and end up quitting as shinobi's, those that die during the Exam, we've seen it all. And chunin often become captains of military teams. The failure of a mission, the death of a comrade…that is all the captain's responsibility." He scoffed at the girl who he'd hit as she picked herself up. "Yet kids like you think you can pass? We're just thinning out those who will fail anyway. What's wrong with that?"

Naruto ignored their little speech, looking at the surrounding crowd in confusion. Leaning over to Sasuke he whispered, "Why is everyone here? We only went up one floor."

Sasuke nodded, "Yeah. It's probably a genjutsu to make the sign say that it's the wrong room."

Naruto scratched his head. "So…it's like a test? They're not beating them up because they can't go in the room, but because it's the wrong room?"

Sakura groaned, wondering why Naruto was even bothering to say anything. "Yes Naruto, it's the wrong room. They're just confusing them with the genjutsu so that the people who aren't paying attention like good genin should are weeded out." Sakura blinked, suddenly realizing something. "Wait, _you_ noticed it?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, it wasn't hard. I mean, we've been to the Academy more than foreign shinobi, and I've escaped from the Academy more times than I can count, so I know that sort of stuff pretty well."

Now both of his teammates were staring at him. Naruto was still the same little idiot, but he'd obviously become more attentive to his surroundings. It was a rather scary prospect.

Naruto took the lead, sidling around the crowd of genin and making his way to the next flight of stairs. His teammates, still gob smacked by Naruto's strange intelligence, followed him. A few minutes later, they stood before the final door to the test, which once again had someone in front of it. This time though, it was Kakashi.

"Oh, so Sakura made it." He said lazily, looking over his genin. "Now we can properly take the Exam."

Sakura flinched at Kakashi's comment, barely catching the hidden meaning. "What do you mean by that Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi eye smiled at Sakura. "The truth is that this test can only be taken by teams of three."

Naruto scratched his head in confusion, remembering the conversation that they'd had with Kakashi the day before. "But Kakashi-sensei, you said that taking this test was an individual choice? You lied to us?"

"If I had told you the truth, you or Sasuke would have pressured Sakura into taking the exam." Kakashi said, turning to Sakura. Naruto had a sheepish look on his face, while Sasuke just flinched. "Even if you didn't want to, if Sasuke had asked you, you would have come. For Sasuke's sake…and…well…Naruto too."

Sakura didn't bat an eye at doing it 'for Naruto'. "So if only Sasuke and Naruto had shown up?"

"The exam would have ended right there; they wouldn't have gotten any further." Kakashi replied. He looked over his team one more time, his eye turned upward in a smile. "But you all came of your own free will; you guys have made me proud. Now go!"

All three members of his team grinned widely, turning to the door and walking in. A moment after they'd entered, Kakashi sighed. "You can come out now Iruka."

From behind a nearby corner, Iruka stepped out. He appeared fine for the most part, however, the main change in his appearance was a dark bruise on his forehead. He scowled at Kakashi before staring after his former students. "How do you think they'll do? And I mean really, how will they do?"

Kakashi shrugged, not answering Iruka's question. Truth be told, he truly didn't know how well they would do. Sasuke might do decently, but he needed to be knocked down a peg or two if he truly wanted any kind of shot at defeating his brother. Sakura needed to experience the real world, outside of her fan girl mindset. Naruto though…

He honestly couldn't say anything for or against Naruto, mainly because he didn't know. If one were to take all of the different elements needed to become a chunin, Naruto wouldn't make it to chunin. His genjutsu skills were nonexistent, his intelligence was subpar, and he barely had any 'useful' ninjutsu. He did have very…inventive uses for different combinations of the jutsu's he had, but a chunin that did not make. He had a long way to go before he had the taijutsu skill, but if they were to judge him on pure brawling skills, and odd observations, he would have a shot.

Iruka sighed, rubbing the bruise on his head. Kakashi took note of it, his curiosity peeked. "How'd that happen?"

"Naruto." Iruka stuttered, remembering the fight. Had Naruto been a real enemy, and had done what he'd done against Mizuki –create a one man army or shadow clone- Iruka would have been left a broken smear on the ground, which wasn't a part of the test whatsoever.

Kakashi raised his eyebrow at that. He'd expected Naruto to give Iruka a run for his money, but to actually land a solid blow against Iruka was impressive. "He actually managed to hit you?"

Iruka nodded. "Three times. And you've obviously got his ability to detect genjutsu far above what he could do in the Academy."

"Really? But I haven't taught him anything about genjutsu." Kakashi said.

Iruka blinked in shock. "But…but he got through the genjutsu I set up. If he didn't know how to dispel it, then how…?"

"I don't know." Kakashi stared at the door where his team had just left with his eye slightly widened. That…was unexpected. Kakashi winced, resisting the urge to slap his face. "Then again, we really shouldn't have underestimated the most unpredictable shinobi of Konohagakure."

Turning from Iruka, he walked to the jonin lounge. As he walked, his mind tumbled with the new information Iruka had given him. He knew that the Sharingan and Byakugan could see the chakra flow so they could know when they were caught in the genjutsu and dispel it easier, and there were other clans like the Yuuhi and Kurama that showed prowess in said art. However, not even the Sharingan could simply look _through_ genjutsu. That was a skill he'd never heard of before; mainly because according to everything they knew, it was _impossible_.

Frowning, he decided he would take it up with the Sandaime after the second test had started; he would find out what was going on no matter what it took.

**-xxxxx-**

A chill ran up Naruto spine, his eyes wide in terror, and teeth clenched. He knew that it would happen eventually, however he was hoping that it wouldn't happen until after the Chunin Exams. Or never…never would have been _so_ much better.

"Sasuke-kun, did you miss me?" Ino asked, hanging off of Sasuke's shoulder. Thanks to some advice from Naruto, Ino had altered her attire slightly. Like her outfits before, she had a midriff showing purple shirt and skirt, her hiate worn like a belt, bandages around her midriff and legs, and arm warmers. However, despite her lack of real obvious change, there were subtle things. Like how instead of white, the bandages and arm warmers were black. The arm warmers had a thick dark red leather straps hanging slightly off them from wrist to elbow. While they looked pointless, they actually had the purpose of holding hidden kunai or other weapons she wanted to sneak into them in them. If she ever was captured, and still had her arm warmers she would still have a weapon on hand. Plus, it did make them look even cooler.

How Ino had managed to sneak onto Sasuke's shoulder, Naruto didn't know. All he knew was that he had to move away from Ino now, and anywhere where she wouldn't be able to see him.

Thankfully, another team was headed their way, and were the human shields he currently needed. Sneaking away from Ino, he grinned widely at the approaching group. "Hey guys, what's up?"

He knew who the first guy was; his scruffy hair, little white dog, and red marks on his cheeks identified him as Inuzuka Kiba. Kiba grinned as Naruto approached. "Hey Naruto!" He looked past Naruto at Naruto's teammates, his feral grin widening as he saw Sasuke and the rest of the rookies behind him. "It looks like the gangs all here."

Naruto shrugged, keeping his eyes straight ahead. "Yeah, I guess we are."

He looked at Kiba's teammates, unable to recognize either of them. The girl on his team had a baggy jacket, and pupil less lavender eyes; he vaguely remembered her as Hyuuga Hinata. The other guy on his team had a high collared jacket, spiky brown hair, and dark sunglasses that didn't allow anyone to see his eyes; Naruto didn't remember who he was, having never interaction with him. Naruto didn't particularly care seeing as he and his team would be helping keep him away from Ino.

"Yeah, we are." Naruto muttered, looking between the three. "So…what's new?"

Kiba grinned, "We've been learning all sorts of cool stuff since we became a team. Plus, our teamwork has gotten so that we're totally awesome we could take on anyone!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow , wondering just how much stronger they'd become. Kiba had been pretty boastful in the Academy, though he'd been pretty good at holding up to his word all things considered. Which meant that if he'd gotten better, that might actually be saying something.

"Hey Naruto, come over here!"

Naruto went ramrod straight at the voice, paling slightly. Slowly, he turned around. Sure enough, Ino was staring at him with a coy smile. Naruto shuddered as she motioned for him to come over. Ignoring her would be a very bad idea, though he wasn't exactly known for having bright ideas in social situations. Turning back to the other team, he tried to get back into conversation with them.

Unfortunately, Sakura noticed. "Naruto, come over here." She said in a sickeningly sweet tone.

Naruto paused, shaking his head 'no'. Sakura's eyebrow twitched dangerously, promising pain if he didn't do as she said. Naruto shook his head again. With a stomp of her foot, she began to march over.

Right before she got to him, there was an explosive blast of smoke in the front of the room. "Sit down and shut up you maggots!"

There were a few startled shouts as all eyes were directed to the front of the room. Any and all talking in the room ended as the bandana and trench coat wearing jonin entered the room, a small entourage of chunin following after him. He had a dangerous aura around him that put all the chunin hopefuls on edge, no matter what village they were from. His sharp gaze pierced them all as it sweep over the room.

"Thank you for waiting. I am Morino Ibiki, the examiner for the Chunin Exam's first test." Seeing the frightened look of the genin, he chuckled. "I'm going to lay down some rules that you all will follow. There will be no fighting without the permission of the examiner. Even if permission is given, killing your opponent will not be tolerated. If any of you fail to follow these rules, you will fail instantly. Do I make myself clear?" He asked, his eyes shadowed by his bandana. Seeing no one objecting to his rules, he continued. "We will now start the first test in the Chunin Exams. Instead of your current seating, you will pick a tab and sit in the seat assigned to you. We will then hand out the exams."

There was a pause that could almost be heard throughout the room as they processed what he'd said. Naruto voiced a great deal of the confusion as his mind caught on. "What? A paper test?"

**-xxxxx-**

Iruka groaned as he walked into the classroom. While most chunin were helping with the Chunin Exams, he was still working in the Academy papers. "Yeah, enjoy some down time during the weekend. I've never had a day off since I started teaching."

With another sigh, he went back to his papers, chuckling under his breath as he remembered the first test of the Chunin Exam. While it was definitely different in their own ways, he still found that Konoha had the monopoly for the most humorous 'intelligence gathering' test. After all, no one really enjoyed paper tests. Once they'd gotten out into the field, they wanted more action, fighting, and overly dramatic jutsu. A paper test usually appeared degrading at first glance.

"Well, Sakura might be an exception to that." He muttered, remembering how the young girl had constantly had her nose in one book or another, memorizing information and learning to speak in the same incomprehensible gibberish most books consisted of. Point was, she was smart, and the test might actually be considerably more easy for her than for his other students.

With a small sigh, he picked up another paper. Smiling as he read the name, Sarutobi Konohamaru, he gave it a quick once over. He resisted the need to palm his face as he read over some of the ridiculous answers to the questions.

"'What do you do if one of your teammates is captured?'" He read, before turning his attention to his answer. "'Promise your friends that you'll bring them back and then beat the bad guys up.' If only life were that simple."

He rubbed the bruise on his forehead, once again reminded of his confrontation with Naruto. It was true; he'd had to play the bad guy, and truth be told, Naruto had done exactly what Konohamaru had put on his paper. It wasn't the _right_ answer, but it obviously held true for certain situations. He marked him half points, and moved onto the next question.

By the third question, Iruka had to push the paper away from himself and take a breath to keep from going out and throttling Naruto. Every single answer that Konohamaru had put down for the other day's test had something to do with their encounter. He'd have figured that Naruto had more tact than to fill their heads with useless information that could get them killed if they weren't careful. _This_ was why Naruto wouldn't make chunin.

"Yo."

Yelping and falling out of his chair, Iruka groaned as he recognized who had just spoken. _'And this is why I'm not a jonin. Freaking sneaky jonin always getting the drop on me.'_

"What do you want Kakashi?" He asked with a hint of venom. He'd bowed out in the Academy because it wouldn't have been very professional. Here, in his home, he didn't feel quite the same way.

"Mah, that's no need to bite my head off." Kakashi said, obviously taunting the fallen man. _'That was totally worth it!'_

Iruka picked himself up, turning away from Kakashi. "I understand that Naruto and his team have entered the Chunin Exam's of their own free will, so if you're here to reprimand me further there's no need."

Kakashi shook his head, reaching behind himself. "No need. I was just making a delivery."

Iruka heard something being placed on his desk and tensed up slightly. Turning back to Kakashi, and his desk, he froze at what had been placed there. For there, sitting in all its fake glory, was his Ame shinobi hat.

"Naruto gave it to me." Kakashi explained, taking a step back from the hat. "He'd yelled something about him not being able to track down some Ame shinobi who tried to kidnap one of his friends. Then he'd stopped and remembered that I could track stuff, and he asked me to find the guy so he could beat him up." He eye smiled at the shocked Iruka. "I told him I'd do it for him."

Iruka tensed, waiting for the onslaught that was bound to come. When Kakashi didn't just start beating on him, he bit his lip. "So, you're here to finish what Naruto started?"

'_Should I tease him some more?' _Kakashi thought, mentally shrugging. Iruka had obviously had enough of his games. "No, you're not the guy I'm looking for. You're a fellow Konoha shinobi, not an Ame shinobi."

Iruka let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Looking back to the hat, he thought over what had just happened. Naruto, the fool of his class and Hokage dreamer, had admitted that he wasn't all powerful. He had bowed to someone superior, and asked him to help him where he was not as capable.

Maybe there was some hope for Naruto being a chunin yet.

**-xxxxx-**

Naruto was having a small major panic attack. The problem? He actually knew more than half of the information on the Academy exams, but didn't bother filling any of it out as it really didn't seem to have any importance to him in the future. Now though, with the uber difficult test in front of him, he silently wondered if filling out the other stuff on the test really would have made any difference at all.

He looked over the test again, not able to understand the questions at all. It didn't help that when he became too frustrated with one question, he'd jump to the next only to find it harder than the first. The worst part was when he went back to the first question, only to find that it seemed to be an even more confusing jumble of nonsense.

Next to him, Hinata was covertly looking over the shoulder of another genin hopeful who was answering his test. Thanks to the Byakugan, which allowed her to see all around as well as through objects, she had no difficulty seeing his test from where she was seated.

It also gave her a chance to see Naruto's test without having to turn her head. Feeling his desperation, she calmly turned off her Byakugan. Turning slightly towards Naruto, she whispered –not much of a change for her all things considering- to him. "Naruto-kun, you can look off of my test if you want."

Naruto blinked, unsure if he'd heard Hinata right. _'She'd risk getting into trouble…so that I could look off her test? Sweet! Answers here I come! But wait…what if they're watching me.'_ Covertly, he looked around the room. Several chunin proctors had their eyes on him, or on the people around him. If he were to just copy her answers, because he sucked at cheating like that, he would get caught and they'd probably both get in trouble for it.

Swallowing his desire to just take her up on her offer, he gave her the biggest smile he could. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Hinata couldn't help but wonder if that were really true, but felt that if Naruto knew what he was doing, she would believe in him. Nodding, she turned her attention back to her now overturned test paper.

Behind them, Ino muttered a string of curses. _'Of course Naruto wouldn't take answers from Hinata, he's too nice! Gah, if he fails and makes Sasuke-kun fail, it'll look bad for me. I mean, he let me hang off his shoulder and seemed really interested in our conversation. Naruto is the key to getting Sasuke's attention!'_

She tapped her chin with her pencil thoughtfully, going over what options she had of getting Naruto to pass his test. She already had her test answers, and had them memorized for future usage. There were mirrors on the ceiling that another team was already using that she could redirect in Naruto's direction. Maybe she could switch bodies with Shikamaru and…

'_Dang, I'm slow today.'_ Ino mentally muttered as she formed the hand seal for her family's technique. The Shintenshin no Jutsu (Mind Body Switch Technique) was really useful, especially in this particular instance. While this was almost in a more 'battle distance' sort of range, Naruto wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, so she could take all the time she needed. Taking aim, she quickly shot herself into Naruto.

Naruto jerked upwards slightly, an uncharacteristic smirk crossing his face as he calmly began writing down the answers to the test. After all, Sakura had already given the answers to Ino. Why not help out Naruto too?

As Ino-Naruto got to the sixth answer, she felt an elbow to her side. With a scowl, she turned Naruto to face whoever had him her when she paused at the sight in front of her. Hinata was giving her the meanest glare she could. Considering she had her Byakugan activated again, it was actually far more intimidating than it would be normally.

"What are you doing Ino-san?" Hinata whispered, turning her eyes forward. She didn't want to get caught talking, but after seeing Ino shoot herself into Naruto, she was both curious and enraged by Ino's actions. After all, it made no sense for Ino to do something like that.

Ino pouted -which was pretty funny seeing Naruto do- as she responded. "Naruto's a halfwit who barely has the mental capabilities to get dressed in the morning. If he fails, he'll be taking Sasuke-kun down with him. I'm not going to just sit by and let him do that."

Hinata bit her lip, wondering if it would be okay just this once to act out and Jyuuken Ino to death. She'd have to do it to the real Ino though, seeing as she was currently occupying Naruto's body, which would mean she'd have to go to the back of the class. Which would make a big scene, and she really didn't want to be the center of attention. With a sigh of regret, she allowed Ino to continue taking Naruto's test for him.

Ino grinned as she wrote down the last answer to the test. She ignored putting the steps to get her answers, not wanting people to wonder how Naruto got so smart. They'd just figure that he was blatantly cheating off someone else, and just put the answer down because he was too lazy.

'_Sounds like Shika.'_ She thought, smirking at the thought of her lazy friend. Quickly writing a quick note for Naruto on the back of his hand, she made to make the sign to release her jutsu when she thought of something.

She was in Naruto's head. A scary concept, to be sure. But also one of infinite possibilities. Instead of asking him directly, she could just go through his memories, watch what he'd watched, and come to her own conclusions without his droning on about one thing or another. The corners of Naruto's mouth twitched upwards slightly. _'Maybe I'm doing better than I thought.'_

Relaxing, and falling in on herself, she pulled herself into Naruto's mindscape. Everyone had one; a 'place' they had created to store all of their memories, personal thoughts, etcetera. For a Yamanaka, enteringing their own was actually the first step in learning the Shintenshin no Jutsu, seeing as the user would have to intimately understand their conscious mind before they could just leave their bodies to their simpler subconscious.

Naruto's mindscape was rather surprising for her. She honestly hadn't drifted into anyone else's mindscape before though, since she tried to respect their privacy for the most part, so she had nothing but her own mindscape to compare it to. Her own mindscape was a garden, large enough to reflect her memories from the center of each flower. Certain memories were grouped together, with others pressed and framed for memories she wanted to continually remember. It was a very impressive trick that the Yamanaka did to improve their techniques; learning their techniques, 'pressing' them, and then going over them to better perform their techniques.

For Naruto, she'd imagined the Hokage Monument, or some other ramen based extravaganza. Instead, it was simple, and quite quaint. In fact, she was pretty sure she'd just been sitting in this exact room a moment before; albeit, there had been other people there.

"Wait a second…" Ino muttered. She looked around more carefully, noting the room she was in. Looking around a second time, she was now certain of it. This _was_ one of the Academy's rooms. It was empty, but that might have just been because this was somewhere Naruto had made for 'future reference' that he hadn't set anything to. After a couple of seconds, she pushed herself up and walked out of the room.

Surprisingly, unlike the actual Academy, the halls were at least three times wider; similar to the Hokage's Tower. Shrugging, seeing as it wasn't something she was concerned about, she began looking for a 'Sasuke' room…or whatever Naruto had for Sasuke.

Glancing around the halls as she passed them, she noticed all sorts of weird rooms. There were rooms committed to specific memories, others for jutsu (or rather future jutsu seeing as he only had five useable jutsu), even a room with a giant bowl of ramen in it. Just as she felt she was going to have to give up, she saw it.

The dark hole in the floor.

She'd almost passed by it, it not really that overly shiny to see. However, it was just out of place enough to stand out when she looked over it. She grinned when she saw it, figuring it was his 'useless information dump'; an area where people put memories they didn't want to remember, but still did. Her own was a cyclone of leaves, each carrying their own memory with it.

"Jackpot." She said, marching towards it. Naruto had made this very difficult to find, his mind was a maze, and she was just past being patient about getting the information.

Just as she was about to leap down, a hand grabbed her shoulder. Startled by the contact, she jumped around, nearly falling back into the hole. As her eyes connected with her assailant, her heart just about jumped into her throat.

The person behind her was not Naruto. He had the build, the structure that was so familiarly Naruto, but his appearance was not. He was dressed in snow white clothes; a jumpsuit similar to the one the original Naruto wore though completely plain, white sandals, and white fingerless gloves. His hair hung limply, its red tone like a smoldering fire. His face had stress lines, like one who'd lived too long, seen too much, and just hadn't died yet. Heavy bags under his eyes were from an obvious lack of sleep were both troubling, and oddly accentuated his eyes.

And what eyes they were. There were entirety of the eye was black, save for a single dot of white that was obviously some sort of pupil. She stared into the soulless void, unable to break eye contact. She was lost in the emptiness, stripped bare of all thoughts as her mind focused only on his eyes. It seemed like an eternity for her before she realized that he was staring _back._

"**You're not allowed here."** He said, his voice echoing throughout the hallway.

Ino shivered, not understanding what was happening. "I…I'm allowed here." She said, trying hopelessly to sound defiant. "Naruto promised –"

"**No."**

As this strange person shouted, Ino froze, feeling a sudden weight in her chest. Unable to breath, she collapsed on the floor, desperately scratching away for air while trying to move away from the 'person' in front of her. She didn't get far before she was picked back up, being forced to once again gaze into the void that was his eyes.

"**Be gone mind walker. You have overstayed your welcome."**

Not a second later, Ino's body jolted upright as her soul returned to it. She bit back a gasp, as she tried not to draw attention to herself. Covertly looking around, she realized that none of the chunin had noticed her sleeping, or had mentioned it to anyone. With a heavy sigh, she hugged herself as she tried not to shiver at the memory of whatever that had been in Naruto's mind.

A few rows ahead, Naruto blinked in confusion as he 'woke up'. Rubbing his eyes sleepily, he looked over at the clock. _'Oh crap! I dozed off and ran out of time. The tenth question is coming up, and I didn't write any- what the?'_

Black ink on the back of his hand caught his attention, snapping him out of a near frenzy of panic. Looking closer at what was written, he bit back a curse. He turned over his test, looking over the answered test. Biting his cheek to keep from cursing, he sighed as he sunk into his chair.

_You owe me big time._

Ino. That was the only thing he could think of. Ino had told him that she'd recently been taught and mastered one of her clans techniques that allowed her to make people do stuff without knowing they did it somehow. And she'd used it on him to give him the answers to put him in her debt. As if having to do whatever she said as long as it had to do with Sasuke wasn't enough.

"Okay." Ibiki said, cutting through the testing monotony. "We will now start the tenth question."

* * *

AN: FIRST TEST IS DONE!

I shuffled through that pretty quick, because there wasn't too much that needed to change. The Sasuke vs. Lee fight, Kabuto, and the Oto genin attack were taken from the story, with good purpose! The Lee one should be more obvious as to why they didn't fight, but the other two will be explained later. Kabuto will be explained soon, and the Oto genin I will explain when they're headed off to attack Sasuke. That'll be _fun_. *evil cackle*

How many people have thought of _that_ as a way to pass the exam? Seriously, Ino using the Shintenshin to take over Naruto and take the test for him to ensure Sasuke's team passes? Has anyone else done that? I don't think so.

It also was a great set up for the mindscape scene. I liked the guy I showed you, even thought you won't see him for a while. Seems all my OC's are just taking a back seat for now…maybe I should introduce _him_ soon. That'll be so much fun to write. *more evil cackling*

Quick FYI, nothing is going to change from 'The Tenth Question', to the 'Forest of Death'. Team 7 will start in the Forest of Death, and will move on from there. I'm not going to rewrite what you already have read just to get more words to put into a chapter. That's unfair to you guys, and the plot.

Okay then. Next time on Word of Honor; _Seal Markings_. What Kabuto's team is doing, Naruto makes another promise, and Orochimaru faces off against our favorite team of genin, creating a bigger problem than he knows.


	7. Seal Markings

Disclaimer: I own not Naruto. I am borrowing the characters, and a few scenes, but the ideas that they are pushing towards, are mine.

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Word of Honor

_Chapter 7: Seal Markings_

Kabuto walked down the streets of Konohagakure no Sato, his gait heavy and seemingly distraught. His purpose was unclear to most who saw him; though those who'd seen him before and knew that the Chunin Exam's were in Konoha, and that he had yet to pass said exams yet had an idea. And they'd be right, Kabuto wasn't taking the Chunin Exam's this year.

Orochimaru had given him a better matter to take care of.

Through his years in the village, both Kabuto and Orochimaru had found something interesting. There were people registered in the village who were not actually in the village for the majority of the time. Danzo's Ne (Root) could have been the cause for some of the missing persons, but the numbers and placement of said people were too odd for it to only be Danzo. After all, what use could normal, untrained civilians have in Danzo's group?

Which lead Kabuto to where he was now; walking the 'retired' sector of the village, and looking for clues. This particular sector was dedicated to shinobi who had some reason or another to quit the shinobi force and needed a livelihood to settle into. There were plenty of other genin who came here to see what their potential future could be if they didn't pass the Chunin Exam's, so he didn't seem out of place. In fact, a few would probably ask what he was doing there seeing as he was very optimistic about his lack of promotion. Him being in the retired sector sounded like he was giving up.

Kabuto shook his head at the foolish thoughts of his 'fellow genin'. Like he was actually on their level. No, he was here for another reason. He was here to see one of the older retiree's who had once been a rather skilled med-nin. His purpose; interrogation.

Pushing his glasses to the bridge of his nose, he came to a stop as he looked at the address he was looking for. A fake smile on his face, and looking as fake and naïve as ever, he looked over the building. It was quite large, at least three stories tall. There were few windows, obviously to bar anyone from entering into places they shouldn't, with a wide arch leading to the front of the building.

Walking calmly to the door, he paused as he noticed someone sitting on the porch. Approaching with a bit more caution, his eyes narrowed slightly as he got a better look. He would not let someone get the drop on him.

He was rather young man -maybe a year younger than himself- with a lanky build, and dirty blonde hair that appeared to have brown streaks in certain parts. He was dressed in clothes that he hadn't seen on too many people; a long sleeved white flannel shirt with a brown vest buttoned up over it, dark green slacks, and squared off sandals. It vaguely appeared like one of the foreign civilian's that came through from time to time, however, the mask was definitely Konoha property.

It was a mask of a monkey, grinning brightly at any and all who saw it. The eye portion had been covered with one way glass to allow whoever was looking through them to see him without him being able to see their eyes. It looked like the Anbu mask of a rookie member who still lacked the professionalism to simply allow the mask to remain with its impassive look.

He blinked as he suddenly realized he'd been staring. "I'm sorry, I've just never seen a mask like that. Did you make it yourself?"

The young man said nothing for a moment, slowly turning to Kabuto. Then, his head snapped up, jumping in excitement. "Oh, yeah! I wanted to be in Anbu, but washed out of becoming a genin shortly after passing the entrance exams. Those jonin sure don't mess around!"

Kabuto nodded, remembering his own test. It had been _sickeningly_ easy to figure out what his sensei had wanted to see in them. Since his 'teammates' had been subjects to some of Orochimaru's projects, they listened to him without a second thought. After all, he was closer to Orochimaru than they were, and if he gave a good report on them, Orochimaru might prove find them of enough worth to empower. The only real difficulty was hiding his real skill so that his sensei wouldn't see anything out of place.

The young man suddenly stopped jumping, his head tilted to the side in a confused manner. Kabuto allowed himself to act the part of 'curious genin' a bit more. "Is there something on my face?"

"Yeah, you're glasses." The young man said in a way that was completely serious.

Kabuto chuckled at the joke. It was a bad joke, but laughing might be beneficial. "I was looking for Yamanaka Izo? I was wondering if –"

"Nope."

Kabuto paused, wondering if he'd heard him right. "I'm sorry?"

"No can do." The young man replied, nodding his head as he spoke. "You don't have an appointment, so I can't let you in. That's the rule."

Kabuto nodded slowly. He hadn't heard of this 'rule' but it could have been that it was just something that he'd overlooked when seeking him out. If he couldn't find anything on setting up an appointment with him, he'd just have to do things the hard way. "Very well. I'll come back when I have an appointment. Thank you for informing me of my mistake."

"Alrighty then, see you later!" The young man said, waving his hand wildly as Kabuto walked away.

Kabuto just grinned as his face was shadowed, pushing his glasses back into place. Obviously others knew of the so called 'secret technique' Yamanaka Izo had developed and were seeking it out as well. That simply wouldn't do. Grinning darkly, he made plans on how he would…extract the information from him.

Back at the porch, the young man stared after Kabuto as he rounded a corner. His hand slowly fell back down to his side, and his foot began to tap to an unheard beat. "So, Yakushi Kabuto has decided to pay us a visit." He muttered, turning on his toes and walking into the house. "Izo-sensei will want to hear about my new friends…exploits."

**-xxxxx-**

"If we get separated next time," Sasuke said as Team 7 huddled together shortly after the Ame shinobi had ambushed them. "Even if it's one of us, don't trust them. This could happen again."

Despite all that had just happened, Sasuke obviously didn't blame Naruto for being caught. Sakura was too busy trying not to freak out from everything that was currently going on to really care what had happened to Naruto. She just wanted some way of knowing things would be okay.

Naruto was in a similar, if more self attacking state. _'Man, I totally got taken off guard by that guy!'_ Scowling, he looked to the side. "I won't let it happen again."

"No one's blaming you Naruto. It could have happened to any of us." Sasuke said, surprised that Naruto was taking this so hard. Since they'd come into the forest, Sasuke had been appointed 'temporary' leader –temporary because Naruto wanted a chance to shine at some point- and needed to make sure he kept a level head. "If anything, I wouldn't have been able to get out of that without you. You were able to help me, just like I helped you. That's what teammates do."

Naruto nodded, grabbing the gravel beneath his hands. He knew that, he just felt so weak. He hadn't done much in the fight, and had been the one caught off guard. Plus, if they tried to imitate someone else, even with whatever Sasuke's plan was, he would ultimately be susceptible to even the weakest of genjutsu.

'_Genjutsu.'_ Naruto thought, his mind beginning to whirl. When he'd rescued Moegi, he'd went right through the genjutsu the Ame shinobi had apparently put up, which would be an awesome asset to the team. The only thing that he remembered about how he'd done it was thinking about his promise to Konohamaru and Udon. Biting his lip, he took a steadying breath for what he was about to do.

"You guys." He said, getting their attention. "I promise you, I'll do whatever I can to make sure we get to the tower alive."

Both Sakura and Sasuke blinked in confusion, but seemed more at ease by the promise. Naruto felt the familiar feeling that came with the promise, and sighed in relief. _'That takes care of that.'_

When Sasuke told them his idea for a codeword, and gave it to them though, Naruto felt every muscle in his neck tighten. He'd figured that his promise would mean that he'd remember the codeword or something, but what came out of Sasuke's mouth sounded as much like gibberish as anything else he might've said. Cursing under his breath when Sasuke wouldn't repeat it for him, he was surprised when Sasuke handed him a black scroll.

"I put a subtle genjutsu on this scroll to look like the real 'earth scroll'. If you get caught, and need to get away, use this to get away." Sasuke said as he stood up. "I'll hold onto the other scroll."

Naruto sighed, pocketing the scroll in his pouch. A second after he did so, a small rock hit him in the face. Grimacing in pain, he turned to the source.

And was propelled away from his team by the violent oncoming wind.

**-xxxxx-**

Orochimaru looked between the two genin in front of him. One was a civilians daughter, of no real consequence, and of little skill. The other, was Uchiha Sasuke. Son of the former head of the former elite Uchiha clan. At least, before they'd been wiped out by Sasuke's older brother.

Sasuke showed no fear towards Orochimaru, glaring him down as though he were simply another genin in the exams. Normally, this tactic would work seeing as it was two against one. Well, three against two, but they didn't need to know that. After all, it wouldn't be fun to let someone else handle what he could do alone.

"It wasn't Naruto again?" The girl asked, obviously slow on the uptake. Orochimaru gave her a moment to figure out whatever it was that Sasuke already knew, knowing that civilian born shinobi usually had a certain lack of battle sense that clan raised shinobi had.

Smirking, Orochimaru pulled out the 'earth scroll', already knowing that they needed it to pass this part of the exam. Even if it had been the wrong one, it would have appeared to be the right scroll. After all, he needed bait for them to take. "You want my 'earth scroll', right? Since you guys have the 'heaven scroll'." Taking the scroll and wrapping his tongue around it, he slowly shoved it down his throat. Dramatics always were rather enjoyable, especially since these two were so green, they likely hadn't met a shinobi like him. Then again, few were. Finishing pushing the scroll down, he sighed as he put his finger beneath his lower eyelid. "Now we can begin the battle for our scrolls…with our lives on the line."

Were it not for the fact he was projecting his killing intent in such a concentrated way, he would have laughed at their terror. This was nothing. Compared to some of the people Orochimaru had known and met, he would have laughed in the face of anyone who tried to throw something so _weak_ at him.

Sasuke hunched over, hurling what had once been his lunch onto the forest floor. Orochimaru didn't bother reacting to it, instead remaining seemingly calm. Inwardly, he applauded that they hadn't reached for their kunai's yet. It would be such a waste to hunt down the mighty 'last Uchiha' only for him to kill himself before the real hunt actually began.

He did allow himself some satisfaction, seeing them both trembling in fear. The little civilian girl was even _crying_. His old sensei must've been going senile if he let a girl like her out into the field.

"You can no longer move." He muttered, watching as Sasuke reached for a kunai. And he'd had such high hopes for him. Whipping his hand, he flung two kunai towards them. He didn't need to waste more than that.

Before it reached them, he watched Sasuke use the kunai he'd grabbed to stab himself in the leg. His mind now overriding the fear with pain, he moved and grabbed his teammate. Orochimaru's eyes never left him as he attempted to escape from him.

"_As I thought…he's no ordinary prey.'_ He thought, forming hand seals for a summoning.

**-xxxxx-**

Naruto grimaced as he shook himself of as much of the snake goo from his clothing. It was official, his clothes would smell for the rest of their short lived life. With a sigh, he continued on, not bothering to remove his slightly goo covered jacket.

Some would say that this was a very stupid thing to do, seeing as smelling like snake goo would attract any shinobi who was capable of tracking him by scent. However, Naruto didn't care about that. His entire frame seemed to be pushed faster as his thoughts raced through different possibilities of what kind of jutsu could do that.

'_A natural forest based hurricane?' _He thought before shaking his head. _'Nah, a hurricane would have taken down some of the trees too. It was probably just a normal, really overpowered gust of wind…yeah.'_

Recognizing that the gust of wind had been a jutsu was impressive for him, or would have been if his mind hadn't been throwing out more questions. He'd made a promise to his teammates, so why wasn't he getting the benefits that he'd gotten saving Moegi? He'd made the promise, and felt it take hold just the way it was supposed to, but now he was once again cut off from his teammates.

"Dang it, if I'm not fast enough my teammates could die!" Naruto shouted, pushing himself faster amongst the tree branches.

Amazingly, as soon as he said it he noticed something off about his chakra control. When he pushed off, he remained stuck for an extra second. This in turn was making him be unable to get the proper propulsion he needed to really move faster. To test this, he changed his chakra grip on the tree so that that extra second was gone.

The result was instantaneous. His speed nearly doubled, and he actually found that he had a hard time seeing most of the forest out of the corners of his vision. Putting that away for later, he kept pushing faster towards his teammates.

Landing silently, his eyes widened as he saw some genin coming out of the carcass of a dead snake. Reaching quickly into his shinobi pouch, he whipped out a batch of kunai and shuriken. His eyes narrowed as the genin rapidly approached his team and he launched his volley as hard as he could.

The genin stopped a moment before the weapons impacted, which probably saved their life. When the kunai struck the branch, they were buried to the point that only a sliver of the blade was still visible. The genin stared at them for a moment, before lifting their head.

Naruto grinned, remembering that they probably wouldn't trust him with out the codeword. Despite not remembering a single part of it, he spoke confidently. "Sorry Sasuke, but I forgot the codeword."

Sakura immediately brightened upon seeing him. "Great job Naruto!"

Sasuke on the other hand, didn't look nearly as happy. "Naruto, I know you think you're cool and here to save us…but forget it! Run away! This one's on a whole other level!"

The genin chuckled at their display. "It looks like you defeated that giant snake…Naruto-kun."

'_This genin look like a snake. So he's the one…' _Naruto thought as he narrowed his eyes. "So, you're picking on the weak huh?"

Then, Sasuke did something very out of character. His eyes, once blazing with his clan's Sharingan, faded back to their normal onyx color and turned away from their opponent as he held out their 'heaven scroll'. "I'll give you the scroll. Please, take it and leave us."

Naruto was shell shocked, feeling a righteous rage building up inside him. "Sasuke! What are you talking about? Why would you give our scroll to the enemy?"

The other genin returned to a more human state, smirking at Sasuke's attempt to negotiate. "Very smart. The only way to escape a predator is to give the predator a different meal."

"Take it." Sasuke said, throwing the scroll towards the other genin.

Naruto's eyes widened, not able to fully understand what was going on. This didn't mean that he was going to just let it slide. Using his new chakra speed, he flew forwards and snatched the scroll away before it got halfway across. Still speeding forwards, he landed just behind Sasuke.

Sasuke, in a blind rage caused mainly by fear of what would happen thanks to Naruto, rounded on Naruto. "You idiot! What do you think you're doing? Do you understand the situation?" Naruto didn't flinch as he too whirled back towards Sasuke, slamming a heavy blow to Sasuke's cheek, knocking him off balance on the branch. Leaping away from his crazed teammate, Sasuke continued to shout. "What was that for?"

Sakura was also confused, though quite a bit less vocal than she normally was. "Naruto, what are you doing?"

Breathing heavily, Naruto searched through his gut to find some inkling towards the truth. His promise may not have been able to help him when they were ambushed, but it could most certainly help him now. After all, not knowing if this was his real teammate or not was a matter of life and death.

"I don't remember the codeword, so I can't be test it, but you're Sasuke's fake aren't you?" Naruto said. As he said it, he felt a mild burning sensation in his gut. Since he wasn't clutching his gut in agony, he was on the right track.

"You moron, I'm the real Sasuke!" Sasuke spat back.

"Liar…" Naruto said, the burning sensation fading away. "There's no way the coward in front of me, is the Sasuke I know! I don't know how strong this guy is but what guarantee is there that he'll let us go if we give him the scroll? You're both too freaked out to understand the situation!"

Behind his mask, Orochimaru was somewhat impressed. It wasn't Sasuke, but his no named teammate had understood that simple fact. Truly, there was more to him than met the eye.

"Kukuku, Naruto-kun…you are correct!" Orochimaru said, pulling up the sleeve on his left arm revealing a special tattoo on it. "Especially since I can just kill you and take the scroll."

Wiping a trail of blood down the tattoo, he began making hand signs. Before he'd finished wiping the blood down, Naruto had burst forward. Strength surged through him as his movements became faster than even before. "Shut up!"

Orochimaru smirked, hearing Sasuke yell for Naruto to stop. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)."

Naruto, who was mere feet from delivering a powerful haymaker, was caught off guard as a giant snake appeared beneath the genin he was about to hit. In midair, and unable to defend himself, he took a powerful blow that send him crashing upwards through several smaller branches before slamming into a particularly thick branch.

Naruto coughed up blood, his mind drawing a momentary blank as he regained his bearings. Seeing the snake beneath him, and more importantly the genin riding it, he felt rage grow within him. He heard something about being allowed to eat him, and realized that if he didn't do something, he was going to die.

Die.

"LIKE HELL!" Naruto shouted, slamming the snake's mouth shut with a powerful punch. From deep within himself, he felt an immense power flooding through him, shouting at him to crush the enemy before him.

Unfortunately, without the sudden realization of death so eminent for the moment, he was caught off guard by the large but relatively harmless fireball that struck him. Landing near Sasuke in an undignified heap, he groaned in pain. _'That…was a bad idea.'_

Sasuke's eyes widened as he watched Naruto attempt to go toe to toe with the once untouchable genin. _'That's Naruto?'_

Meanwhile, Orochimaru was enjoying his little discovery. _'Well now, this is becoming quite interesting!'_ he thought as he directed his snake towards Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun, now it's your turn! What will you do?"

He didn't have to do anything. Naruto moved before he even realized that he'd moved, stopping the snake from eating Sasuke. He'd once again drawn on the immense power, thought this time was different. There was no additional malice; just the overwhelming desire to protect Sasuke and Sakura, and to stand his ground against this guy who thought he could just waltz around and say he was going to kill his teammates.

Panting from overexertion, Naruto glanced up at Sasuke. "Hey…are you…alright…scaredy-cat?

Sasuke stared back into Naruto's blue eyes, seeing nothing but amusement at his fear. Sasuke remembered saying something similar to Naruto after the fight with the Oni (Demon) Brothers, and cursed his fearful state. So caught up in his berating himself, he nearly missed Naruto being picked up by their enemy's tongue.

"Hey! Let go of me!" Naruto shouted, pointlessly flailing about in a desperate attempt to break free.

"Kukuku, so the Kyuubi brat is still alive." Orochimaru muttered, noting Naruto's eyes turn red as he wildly attempted to strike him. "When your emotions are heightened the Kyuubi's power overflows…very interesting." Lifting Naruto jacket and shirt, he looked on with amusement, having already completed the necessary hand seals for what he was about to do. "Ah, the seal is still visible. Gogyou Fuuin (Five Element Seal)!"

Not bothering with the 'heaven scroll' in Naruto's equipment pouch, Orochimaru flung him over his shoulder nonchalantly.

It was now time to see if Sasuke was as useful as he'd hoped.

**-xxxxx-**

**Nothing changed in Sasuke vs. Orochimaru fight. Moving on.**

**-xxxxx-**

Anko leapt through the trees, her mind racing as she tried to track down her wayward sensei. The sun was fading in the distance, which caused her to curse as she quickened her pace. Once the sun had gone down, her main methods of tracking would become useless to her.

She stopped on a branch, feeling a bead of sweat running down the side of her face as she stared into the trees. She had been Orochimaru's students, his soldiers, and had learned everything she used now to their full advantage. His betrayal had cut deeply within her, but now she would give her life to kill the man who had made her life a living hell in the village, even if she couldn't take him with her.

"It's been a long time…Orochimaru-sensei." Anko said, not bothering to turn to face the man she despised so.

"Impossible." Orochimaru muttered, genuinely surprised that Anko had managed to sense her. He knew that her skill had grown, but hadn't quite expected her to get to this point.

Closing her eyes, she leapt into the air, kunai falling into her hand as she prepared to chuck them at her former sensei. Before she could though, she was taken off guard by Orochimaru's tongue which shot out and wrapped around her wrist. Realigning herself in midair, she landed roughly on another branch. With a loud cry, she gripped the tongue and pulled.

'_You won't get away! __Senei Jashu_(Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)_!'_

Snakes shot out of her sleeves, latching onto Orochimaru in an attempt to give Anko better gripping power. Flinging Orochimaru overhead, she tried to bring him down as painfully as she could. Years of experience allowed Orochimaru to avoid serious damage as he smirked. Retracting his tongue, he allowed Anko to pull him around. Once he was close enough, he used his chakra to retract his tongue in a way that allowed him a burst of speed into Anko. Caught off guard, Anko was violently smashed into the tree behind her.

Not missing a beat she grabbed Orochimaru's hand in a death grip, unwilling to allow him to escape. Pushing up, she flipped Orochimaru over, pining him down to keep him from escaping. Gripping a kunai in her other hand she rammed it through both of their hands into the tree. She wasn't about to take any chances.

Taking a shaky breath, she grinned at Orochimaru's partly burn fake face. "Heh, got you Now I'm just going to borrow your left hand, Orochimaru." She fumbled with his left hand, finally able to form the necessary seal she wanted. Orochimaru's eyes widened, obviously recognizing the seal as well as what it did. Anko smirked in triumph. "Yes…you and I will die…"

"Kukuku, planning to commit suicide?"

Anko whirled around in shock, having been unable to sense the newcomer. Or rather, the _real_ Orochimaru. She cursed as the Orochimaru in front of her dispersed in a plume of smoke. _'__Kage Bunshin_(Shadow Clone)_!"_

"Now Anko, a special jonin like yourself shouldn't be using all those nasty kinjutsu I taught you." Orochimaru said smoothly, one hand peeling off the rest of the burn 'mask' from his face. The other formed a half seal, triggering a reaction in Anko.

Anko gasped for breath, trying desperately to pick herself up despite the pain from her Ten no Juin (Curse Seal of Heaven). "Why…are you here?"

"It's been so long since we've seen each other." Orochimaru said, finally showing his pale face to the world. "And yet you're still so cold…Anko."

Anko couldn't help but laugh despite the pain. "So…are you here to assassinate Hokage-sama?"

"No, I don't have enough men to do that yet." He replied, like someone discussing the weather. "I thought I'd come and recruit some of the more outstanding genin from this village. In fact, I just gave them one of my seals. There's a kid I want…"

Anko was now shaking due to the pain that the seal was placing on her body. "Heh…that kid's gonna die. You and I both know…"

"There's only a one in ten chance that he'll survive." Orochimaru finished for her, his expression not changing at all. "But like you, he might _not_ die."

Anko snickered, knowing that putting so much faith in the seal would cost him. "You must really like this kid."

Orochimaru smirked as an idea formed in the back of his mind. "Jealous, are we? Are you still upset that I threw you away? After all, unlike you this one has talent. He is of the Uchiha blood after all. So much talent, so much potential. He will be the greatest vessel. I look forward to seeing his growth, so don't stop the exams, especially on my account. Now, for that should interest you."

Orochimaru knew what he was about to do would probably come back to bite him, but then that was the danger of snakes. And Anko was a particularly nasty little viper. With a grin only a mad scientist could pull off, he leaned down next to Anko and placed two fingers against her curse mark.

Anko flinched at the physical contact, wanting nothing more than to bite Orochimaru's fingers or throat. The pain still wracked her body though, and she was forced to remain unmoving as Orochimaru channeled chakra into her seal.

"This is quite the odd little function I found for the seal." Orochimaru said, his smile never wavering. "Truth be told, I don't know quite what this will do to you, so we'll have to catch up at some point. You can try again when we meet."

Slithering away, Orochimaru slowly began to meld with the tree. Anko looked at him through half lidded eyes, barely conscious enough to see straight, and was almost unable to hear what he'd just said. Glaring at him as best as she could, she slowly spoke. "You…bastard."  
Orochimaru shrugged, "Just remember, don't stop the exams. If you try and stop my enjoyment…know that Konohagakure will be finished."

Anko stared into space as he disappeared, finally passing out from the immense pain of the seal beginning the process of rearranging itself.

**-xxxxx-**

Within the strange anomaly that was Naruto's mindscape, a change was occurring. For in once corner of his mind, there was a special staircase. This staircase would allow Naruto to travel between his mind, and his seal –two completely different entities- and speak in the sewer area that held his burden; the Kyuubi.

Now though, a barbed tangle of wire and thick bars were firmly in place between the two, preventing the two from connecting as they previously had. The bars each consisted of a combination of all five elements; forming into an impenetrable substance that could only be removed by the counter seal.

Within the mindscape, looking through the gate, was the Naruto-lookalike. He held his hand a small distance from the entrance, noting the way the chakra prevented him from entering. Slowly he spoke. **"The Gateway is strained."**

From behind him, there was a giant crash, and a rush of energy followed. Not batting an eye at the occurrence, he turned away from the gate and walked forwards. Coming across a large cylindrical room that had the appearance of an oversized dojo. Written on the center of the floor was a group of circles, each one with different words written on them. Leaping down, he began to channel energy through the seal labeled 'Shodaime' (First).

"**It is time.**" He said, his voice barely a whisper as the energy flowed into the shape of a person. **"Our lord approaches. Be mindful of the next generation, ****senzo****." **(Ancestor)

As the energy took shape, he walked away, he first duty complete. Within moments, the energy began to settle down, settling on the form of a woman. Her red hair was long, hanging well past her shoulders, to around the middle of her back. She wore a red combat dress that accentuated her quite well. As her violet eyes opened, she slowly began to look around.

"Where am I? Where's Naruto?"

* * *

AN: …yeah, there was several cannon scenes that were completely necessary. I didn't like having to try and rewrite them normally, so I rewrote them…from different perspectives! Mostly. The Sasuke getting marked didn't need to be written _again, _seeing as nothing changed in that particular fight. Also..._two_ fight scenes. Please tell me how I did...I need to know so I can improve.

Also, remember last chapter when I wanted to bring in '_him_'? Well, monkey-face (who's name I actually couldn't introduce yet) is him. And he'll be helping later…'cause he's a hero! You'll get the joke when the preliminaries are over.

One of my reviewers (Mangahero18) mentioned in their review of Chapter 1 that the promise thing was like the Inheritance Cycle. I've read the inheritance cycle, and had to agree with it on the whole 'ancient language means your promises are binding'. That got me thinking, and I wondered; 'what would happen if Naruto didn't word it right?' And thus, what happened in this chapter. Naruto didn't word it right, so he didn't get all the strength and skill he wanted when he thought he needed it. Bazinga.

And Orochimaru's screwing with Naruto's seal has allowed me to progress his bloodline thingy along! Granted, he's not going to learn too much for the time being seeing as…well, you'll understand when I explain it. But he will eventually get really…I'm not sure strong is the right word, but it'll work for now. Especially if the number crunching I've been doing is right.

Also, considering how fast I've been cranking these suckers out, I may have to let this cool off a bit before updating. What do you guys think?

Next time on Word of Honor; _Subconscious Defensive Mechanisms_. Where Zaku is reminded that he need to stop saying stupid things.


	8. Subconscious Defense Mechanisms

…I did it again. I cranked out another chapter one after the other.

Skipping my questioning of my flaming fingers, I have a question for reviewers! Naruto's bloodline doesn't have a name…but Naruto's going to need one! Eventually. So, with your enlightening help, I'd like to hear any ideas you have for naming it.

* * *

Disclaimer: I own what Naruto is going to do, and since the Oto genin were basically thrown away, I'd like to know if I can keep them. Think Kishi will let me keep 'em?

_**

* * *

**_

Word of Honor

_Chapter 8: Subconscious Defense Mechanisms_

"Dosu?"

"…yes Zaku?"

"Why are were waiting again?"

Dosu, the bandaged and one eyed member of the Oto genin team, gave Zaku a bemused look. "Because it's too easy."

Zaku, his hiate having extra face armor framing his face, raised an eyebrow curiously. "So? There's only one of them awake right now. Plus, it's the chick. I'd be more worried if the other guy had been awake; that guy might've actually proved to be a challenge compared to the girl."

"Hey, I'm right here." Kin, the girl of their team said indignantly.

"Shut up, both of you." Dosu said, not quite as angry as he appeared to be. It actually amused him to see his teammates fighting. Back in Otogakure no Sato, people were more uptight than the Uchiha and Hyuuga clans of Konoha due to the way the village ran. People were on guard twenty-four seven, so people acting out like this didn't happen often. It was refreshing…from time to time.

"You got it boss." Zaku said, turning forward. For a moment, he seemed complacent enough for a moment. Then, "I'm bored."

"We know." Kin muttered, having heard him say the same thing repeatedly since they had arrived.

Zaku frowned, lost in thought. "Man, we could have come into the exam with everyone knowing about us. But no, Kabuto has to be pulled off on some 'other assignment', and we weren't given any opening to show off our awesome moves."

"True. But then, better Kabuto finish his job than Orochimaru-sama taking his anger out on us." Dosu said, shuddering at the memory of what Orochimaru had done to someone else who'd displeased him.

Zaku shuddered as well, having been with him when it had happened. "Alright, that's true. Still, can't you just let me blast them to kingdom come and get this over with?"

Kin rolled her eyes. "And what if you miss?"

Zaku gave her a blank look. "How the hell would I miss? Its not like it's a subtle technique, it's _meant_ to not miss. What, would I trip and screw up my aim?"

"It could be a genjutsu." Kin said.

Zaku perked up, surprisingly interested in that. "Really?" Looking back at the tree, he narrowed his eyes. "That would…actually make sense. She doesn't seem to be the power type like her teammates. But if this were a genjutsu, then wouldn't we be able to cancel it?"

Kin shrugged. "There are certain kind genjutsu users that can layer their genjutsu to make them harder to detect." Her eyes tracked back to the hollow of the tree. "We'll need to hurt ourselves, or test the illusion."

Zaku nodded, trying to think of some way to 'test the illusion'; assuming that this was an illusion to begin with. So lost in his thoughts, he was caught off guard as something jumped up his leg. He gritted his teeth in surprise, looking down to see a small squirrel gripping his leg. Cursing under his breath, he gripped the squirrel by the scruff of its neck and pulled it off. Raising an eyebrow at its terrified eyes, he turned to his teammates. "There was a squirrel on my leg."

Dosu rolled his eye, while Kin shook her head at the pathetic look on the squirrel's face. Neither of them wanted to admit that the squirrel had gotten past all three of them, seeing as it was a _squirrel_. They really needed to be more aware of their surroundings.

Zaku scowled when neither of his teammates answered him, shaking the squirrel lightly. "Well? What do you want me to do with it?"

Dosu raised an eyebrow, before a devious look appeared in his eye. "Zaku, did you remember your exploding notes?"

"Dosu, Tayuya confiscated them when I accidentally blew a hole through her wall." Zaku said, grinning impishly. "Of _course_ I have some! What do you need?"

Kin shook her head, unable to understand how Zaku and his fire-loving personality got along with his personal techniques. _'Oh yeah, Orochimaru-sama showed him that adding wind to a fire can make the fire bigger while pushing it back to the sender. Freaking pyromaniac."_

Dosu grinned beneath his bandages, an explosive loving enthusiast himself. "Alright, here's the plan…"

**-xxxxx-**

Naruto rose groggily, feeling like he'd been hit in the gut by a sledgehammer. Rubbing his stomach in an attempt to alleviate his pain, he slowly pushed himself into a reclined position. Looking around, he sighed as he realized that he was in a hospital room.

'_Damn it, I should've known I overdid it again.'_ Naruto thought, not quite in the right frame of mind at the moment. Another look at the room helped set him right. "Wait…I was just in the forest against that weird genin. What's going on?"

Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he pushed himself out of the bed. Immediately, he knew there was something off. He hadn't actually been in the hospital all that much, but the few visits he'd had had simply reinforced his fear of needles. He did know that when a patient was admitted, they took their patients clothes and gave them the weird gown. Their shoes were also taken, so when he put his feet on the floor and felt his sandals, he knew that this wasn't a hospital.

The moving picture was also a good sign that he wasn't in a normal hospital.

It was right in front of his face, so it wasn't that hard to miss. The movement was what really caught his eye; an image of himself stabbing his hand appearing for a moment, then shifting to being kicked by Zabuza when he'd gotten his hiate back from him.

He sat there, transfixed by the images as they went through his mission, then to the times he'd been in pain due to trying to break his promises. It didn't slow down at any point, and finally ended with the weird genin slamming his hand into his gut. Then it restarted.

Naruto flinched in visible pain as he saw the first image. He remembered the day only too well. He was four, and he'd skid his knee on the playground. He'd cried a bit, and some of the other boys had made fun of him for crying like that. A little ways away, he saw a little girl crying as well, having injured her palm doing something or another. Her mother walked over, talking soothingly to her. He could actually see the little girl whimper as she held out her palm to show her mother what had happened. Her mother smiled, kissing the palm of her hand lovingly before setting her back down. Despite the still painful sensation, he watched the two indigo haired women walk away, the girl far happier than she had been when she'd been playing.

"She…she must've been lonely." Naruto muttered, looking over the picture again in a desperate attempt to remember where he'd seen the girl before. It wasn't meant to be though, as it moved to the next image.

Not wanting to see any more of his painful past, he quickly left the room. Looking from side to side, he tried to figure out which way he was going to go. Either way, he had absolutely no idea where he was, or what was in the other rooms. Sighing, he covered his eyes, pointed forward, and started spinning to randomly choose a direction. After a moment, he slowed down and uncovered his eyes.

He blinked in confusion, rubbing his eyes as he tried to figure out what he was seeing. There, at the end of the hallway, was a boy with red hair. Considering how lost he was, he was glad to see that he wasn't alone. Waving to the boy, he walked forward with no sense of caution whatsoever. "Hey!" The boy held up a hand, seeming to wave back. Naruto brightened, figuring he'd get some answers. "Do you know where we are?"

"**The senzo is waiting for you."**

Naruto froze, the voice washing over him and sending a strange shiver down his spine. It was like the voice echoed in the back of his throat before talking; strangely normal sounding, but in a way that made him simply seem like he was actually further away than he was. Naruto shook his head, noting that the boy was walking away.  
"Hey wait!" he shouted, rushing after him. He seemed to be ignored, as the boy began to run faster away from Naruto. Naruto growled, picking up the pace.

The ran in seemingly random circles. In fact, Naruto was actually pretty sure that they passed by the hospital room he started in. The whole time, Naruto found himself struggling just to keep pace with the red head; the boy was much faster and pushed Naruto to run all out from the very beginning on.

After maybe an hour of running, Naruto was just about to collapse. Groaning, he pushed himself forwards, seeing that the boy had been stopped on a balcony of some kind. Feeling the blood pounding in his head, but no strength to use it, he fell flat on his face at the boys feet. Panting and wheezing up a storm, he glared at the impassive look in the other boys soulless…void-like…eyes.

Suddenly reenergized, Naruto forced himself to his feet, staring into the boy's eyes. "Wow…those are really cool eyes!"

The boy didn't so much as blink at the statement. **"We have arrived."**

"Eh?"

Naruto looked around, taking note of the structure that they'd come to. It was a cylindrical shaped room, at least a hundred or so feet high, with faceless statues standing in a perfect ring in the middle of the room. There were also a group of words written on the floor, with someone standing in the center of one of those circles. Naruto leaned slightly over the railing, trying to get a better look at the person.

"**You'd best not keep her waiting."**

Naruto didn't get to say anything else but a stream of curses as the boy shoved him over the edge of the railing. Certain he was going to be flattened like a pancake, he curled himself into a ball and braced himself for impact. He felt a sudden warmth and something tickling his nose, but not feeling the splat. Hesitantly, he cracked open an eye.

The person who had been standing in the center of one of the rings was a woman; a very pretty woman. She had long red hair, violet eyes, and a beautiful smile. She stared back at Naruto, looking surprised by his sudden fall from the balcony, though also mischievously bemused at what had happened.  
"Hi there! My name is Uzumaki Kushina, who are you?"

Naruto froze, the way he was held and what she had just called herself like a bullet to his brain. It took a moment to find his voice, but he was eventually able to speak. "Uzumaki Naruto."

Kushina's face screwed up into a look of concentration. "Naruto…my Naruto?"

Naruto blinked in confusion. "Uh, I don't know? Who's your Naruto?"

Kushina's face brightened, then fell. "If you don't know, that means you don't know that –"

"**Shodaime senzo."** The red head said from the balcony, drawing Kushina's attention. **"You're here to teach. We do not have the time for anything else."**

Kushina rolled her eyes, huffing in indignation. "I swear, are all of our subconscious strict like this?"

The red head didn't blink. **"Begin teaching senzo."**

Kushina waved him off. "Yeah, yeah, shut it Han'ishiki (Subconsciousness), you'll get your turn."

Naruto looked between Kushina and Han'ishiki, very confused. "Uh…what are you talking about?"

Kushina sighed, motioning for Naruto to sit down. "Well, I guess I should just jump straight into explain what's going on. I won't be able to explain any of the really complicated stuff, so don't ask questions I don't know the answer too."

Naruto raised his hand, feeling like he was back in the Academy again. "But Kushina-san, how will I know what you don't know if I don't ask the wrong questions?"  
Kushina blinked, then grinned widely. "I knew there was some me in you! I mean, besides the whole being related and bloodline thing, I thought –"

"I have a bloodline?" Naruto shouted, jumping to his feet in excitement. "Yes! Take that Sasuke-teme! I'll own you like no ones business with my awesome techniques like…wait, what's our bloodline do?"

Kushina blinked, reminiscing on how she had reacted when she'd heard of all the abilities she had. Of course, she'd been in a similar situation due to her village sending her to Konoha and being left without anyone from her village to explain it had been more difficult for her because it had taken a bit longer to get into her mindscape. The strangest part was probably that they had reacted pretty much the exact same way. It was…eerily awesome.

Kushina shook her head. "Okay, I'm not going to be able to tell you a whole lot, seeing as I'm a girl and you're a guy."

Naruto cocked his head to the side. "Why does that matter? It's all the same bloodline isn't it?"

"Yes…and no." Kushina said. Motioning for him to sit again, she tried to explain. "You see…the bloodline is affected by the, uh, cromo-something-or-another. Ugh, there's basically something different about guys and girls that actually makes what you can do with the bloodline different."

Naruto's eyes widened. He'd known most of the basics of the differences between guys and girls, but to think that it could make the already awesome bloodline abilities change by that simple difference was pretty cool. In fact, he hadn't thought it was possible. He scrunched up his face in thought, going over some of the different stuff that he'd learned about bloodline abilities in the Academy. He didn't remember too much; the different techniques, the ways to spot them, but nothing like this. "Is…that even possible?"

Kushina shrugged. "I haven't heard of anything like it, but that just means that less people know what it can do." She sighed forlornly, scratching the back of her neck. "I wanted to name the stupid thing since no one else has bothered to put a name to it, but I couldn't come up with something that would sound kickass enough. I mean, the Sharingan has a name that is memorable and inspires fear in opponents who know that they're fighting someone who has it. There just wasn't anything I could think of that would do it justice for both sides of the bloodline."

Naruto grinned. "I'm sure we'll think of something that'll be totally awesome Kushina-san! Dattebayo!" He pumped his fist in the air.

"Dattebane!" Kushina grinned, mimicking his action.

Naruto blinked at her proclamation, and then grinned. "Well what do you know; we've got more stuff in common!"

Kushina nodded. "Yeah. Though it's probably because –"

"**Your instruction."** Han'ishiki said, getting a glare out of Kushina.  
"You have horrible sense of timing, you know that?" She shouted, silently hoping she could set him on fire with her gaze.

Han'ishiki didn't so much as flinch. **"I know what I'm doing, just like you were informed on what your duty is. Please continue instruction."**

Kushina sighed, knowing why she wasn't supposed to tell Naruto what was going on just yet. Didn't mean she liked it though. "Fine, I'll get right on it…teme."

Naruto looked between Kushina and Han'ishiki, noting the obvious tension between the two. "Uh…bloodline? Please?"

Kushina nodded. "Okay, now the basic concept behind our bloodline, is...uh. Hold on, give me a second."

Naruto waited patiently, for a second. Unfortunately, he didn't have enough patience to go longer. "Well?"

"Well excuse me for not remembering!" Kushina glared at Naruto. "Unlike you, I didn't learn my techniques from my _living_ family members! I had to learn them all on my…own…uh, woops?"

Naruto flinched, realizing that Kushina was similar to him in another way. It was a shame she'd brought it up so tactlessly. Yet another thing they both had. _'We've got more in common then I thought.' _Naruto thought.

Naruto opened his mouth to tell her that it was fine, but was cut off as a ring of light burst forth from the bottom and top of the cylinder. Naruto's eyes widened as his eyes darted to and fro, trying desperately to understand what was going on. Kushina on the other hand, was calm as her eyes slowly rose to Han'ishiki.

"**Borderline promise breaking. Initiating level one defense."**

Naruto's snapped his head to the balcony. Han'ishiki was standing on the balcony railing, looking very much like the Shinigami himself. His now white hair which appeared to have grown longer and wilder, whipped around without so much as a breeze, his black eyes were now inverted –white with a single black dot for a pupil- giving his eyes an even more unearthly feel. His once white clothing was now pitch black, and tattered and torn.

As they watched, he pulled out a kunai from within his robes. He raised it over his head, drawing his arm back. Then with a flick of his wrist, the kunai buried itself in Naruto's head.

Naruto leaned back in shock, the kunai seeming to bury itself deeper into his skull. After a second, he realized that it _was_ burying deeper into his head. Unable to move, he was forced to watch the strange feeling of the kunai disappearing into his skull. Then, it was over.

Cursing as his ability to move returned, he glared at the balcony railing. Instead of seeing Han'ishiki, the current Shinigami incarnate, he saw only the railing. "Where'd he go?"

Kushina winced, knowing what was happening better than he did. If he 'woke up' in the middle of what was happening, it wouldn't be pretty. The best thing to do right now was distract him as much as possible. "I've still got a lot to teach you Naruto; what just happened will be something we'll talk about later. Just be patient, and listen."

Naruto growled, wondering what was going on. Turning back to Kushina, he sighed. _'Aw, man, this feels like the Academy all over again.'_

**-xxxxx-**

"Ah! She bit me!" Zaku yelled, finally getting Sakura off of his arm.

The plan had gone great, at first. The squirrel had confirmed that it was not a genjutsu, and that there were traps hidden before their target. They'd moved forward and uncovered the first trap, leaping over it and blasting their way through the second trap. The explosion was awesome, and Kin was actually pretty useful when she'd held the pink haired girl down.

That's pretty much where it had all gone to hell. Instead of just staying down like a good girl, she'd cut her hair and started attacking Zaku. She'd used so many Kawarimi (Body Replacement), it had frustrated Zaku into making a mistake. She had managed to literally get the drop on him and instead of doing something expected she had grabbed onto him and bit him. _Bit_ him. Even in Otogakure they had more class than to just bite them.

They'd make sure to aim for something vital, or at least do something while biting them.

Having knocked her off, he was now looking at his injuries. "You little – I'm going to kill you!"

He raised his arms, ready to blast her with a Zankuuha (Decapitating Air Waves). Right before he could though, he was blindsided by an orange blur.

As he hit the ground, he rolled back to a standing position as quickly as possible. What he saw wasn't quite what he was expecting. The blond from within the hollow of the tree, the one he'd been sure was unconscious was standing before him, hunched over from his tackle.

He scoffed, glancing behind himself. He'd been sure that he'd been looking towards the hollow. Looking back, he'd actually been standing with his back toward the hollow. All he'd have had to do would have been turn around; go figure.

"What the hell do you want?" Zaku spat out, mentally wishing that he hadn't interfered. It was becoming annoying that they kept being stopped. First the pink girl, then the blonde. What next? Another team of Konoha genin?

In the bushes not far away, another team of Konoha genin hunkered down as they watched the fight. Ino had been seconds away from pulling her team out and saving Sakura from the rather strange fight. She'd never seen anyone use the Kawarimi so extensively. When the wind using guy had detached Sakura from his arm, she'd been so close to jumping in.

Then, Naruto had awoken. It had happened so fast that she had almost missed it. Naruto had used Kawarimi with one of the logs behind the guy and slammed into him. It had actually been a rather good plan; unfortunately, Naruto didn't take advantage of the moment of shock, and was probably going to die.

Back with Zaku and Naruto, Zaku looked over Naruto. "Man, what kind of idiot wears orange _in the forest_? That's like painting a bulls-eye on your back. Are you trying to get killed?"

Slowly, Naruto raised his head. There were several flinches from those who were able to see Naruto's completely dead, white eyes. There was no emotion on his face as he 'stared' at Zaku. When he spoke, it switched between angry and a hollow echo.

"Are you **threatening us?**" Naruto asked.

Zaku didn't bother biting back his retort. "Hell yeah it is! What are you going to do about it you weak Konoha –"

His words never left his mouth as the orange blur slammed into him a second time; fist first into his gut. Zaku slammed into the ground, barely able to catch his breath. Wincing through the pain and pushing himself back into a standing position, he looked up. His eyes widened when he realized his opponent had moved below his line of sight.

Before he could respond, he was sent careening to his left, courtesy of Naruto's left hook. Naruto didn't let up, vanishing and reappearing above Zaku and slamming his foot into Zaku's back as he rolled across the open field. Bringing his hands together, he brought them down into a hammer fist that made Zaku tense up. Panting lightly, Naruto knelt on Zaku's back, almost unaware of the other people around him.

Dosu didn't waste a second, rushing forward with his right arm held back. Whirling into Naruto, he attempted to take his head off with a right hook. Should that fail, the sound waves would most definitely throw off whatever balance he had.

Naruto didn't look back as he ducked below Dosu's swing, moving himself into a fetal positioned handstand. Dosu's eyes widened, but was unable to do anything as Naruto delivered a devastating mule kick to his gut. His focus thrown off, he was unable to channel enough chakra into the device on his arm to damage Naruto.

Kin just stood there, unable to comprehend what was happening. She was skilled, more so than some of the other women in Otogakure no Sato. However, in close and distanced combat, Zaku and Dosu were the ones that they turned to. Biting her lip, she continued to watch.

Zaku, tired of Naruto sitting on his back, managed to push himself up enough to use a Zankuuha on the ground to push himself upright. Putting both hands in front of Naruto's face, he smirked. "Got you! Zankuuha!"

In a surprising show of dexterity, Naruto leaned back from the waist, barely avoiding the air waves that would have ultimately killed him. Flipping off Zaku's torso, he continued to flip backwards until he was a few feet away from Sakura. Sakura, like Kin, had absolutely no idea what was going on or what to do, and was also enjoying the show.

Zaku's eyes brightened when he realized how they were positioned. All it would take would be one big Zankyokukuuha (Extreme Decapitating Air Waves) and presto; mission complete. "Ha! Now I can kill you all in one shot!"

This was not the smartest thing to say. However, no one could have expected what Naruto did in response to that. Instead of taking things into a taijutsu match again, where he'd been dominating a moment before, he took a breath. As he sucked in air, he pushed his chakra into his hands and stomach until it became visible, before drawing it back towards his mouth into a ball shape. Everyone was transfixed by the strange display of chakra channeling; more importantly it distracted Zaku.

Once the ball it formed it was the size of an apple, the chakra stopped going into it as the white ball of chakra just hovered there. Then, without any signal from Naruto, it shrunk to the size of a marble. Naruto seemed to look at the small floating marble curiously, before opening his mouth and biting down on it.

Zaku, coming out of his dazed state, finally said something smart. "That can't be good."

Swinging both arms forward and building up chakra, he unleashed his current most powerful attack. "Zankyokukuuha!"

Naruto's cheeks and throat bulged out as he drew his chakra back into his stomach before he couldn't charge anymore. His technique complete, he just opened his mouth and let the powerful blast of pure chakra erupt from his mouth. Like Zaku's attack, it began tearing a trench towards the other attack. Unlike Zaku's attack though, it was more focused on where it was going. Where the Zankyokukuuha created gale force winds behind him as it attempted to blast Naruto, no one appeared to be disturbed by Naruto's attack but Naruto himself. As the blast left his mouth, the ground beneath him caved, rooting him to where he stood to better focus his attack.

Beaten back by the air waves, Naruto's attack plowed onwards, slowly but surely. It threw off Zaku's attack just enough that the wind around it became a harmless breeze. Then, Zaku's chakra fluctuated as it became more difficult to hold this type of attack for too long, and the beam struck. Zaku's eyes widened in disbelief as it struck him in the center of his head, knocking him head over heels before he tumbled into a tree with an obviously painful crash.

"Zaku!" Dosu yelled, rushing over to his teammate. Checking him over, he found that Zaku wasn't dead, just unconscious. He would have a killer neck ache from having his head whipped around, but otherwise he'd be fine. Dosu turned back to Naruto, seeing him pulling out his legs as he stared him down. Dosu had a very bad feeling that Naruto was preparing for round two. "Wait! We can't fight you anymore. If we continue this, we will be unable to complete our mission in any form."

Naruto paused, his promise-bound state not sure what to make of what Dosu had just said. If they left, would his life and the life of his teammates still be in danger? Their 'mission' was to kill Sasuke, and they couldn't complete it now. So letting them go wouldn't put his team in danger. He beat them once, he'd beat them again.

"Look, Zaku's had worse injuries before…just take my word for it so we'll be fine." Dosu pulled out his 'earth scroll' and placed it on the ground in front of himself. "Our scroll for our freedom. You won't have to worry about us for now, but we promise that if we meet again in this exam, we will neither run nor hide from you or your teammate. Kin, grab Zaku."

Kin blinked, confused at suddenly being addressed. "What? But what about our mission?"

"Screw the mission." Dosu snapped, his eyes never leaving Naruto's. "Orochimaru told us that the one we needed to worry about was Uchiha Sasuke because he was the strongest on their team. If _this guy_ can take out Zaku and fire things like…like _that_, I won't be able to get close enough for my technique to work. We'll have to wait until later in the exams if we even want a chance."

Kin nodded, sidling over to Zaku's side. Looping an arm over her shoulder, she picked him up and nodded. Dosu didn't respond to her, he simply backed away until they were deep enough in the foliage to flee.

As soon as they were completely out of sight, Naruto sighed. His eyes began to fade back, before they rolled into the back of his head and he went back into dreamland. Sakura barely realized he was passed out before she caught him. Looking him over, then glancing back at Lee, who had been injured trying to help her too, she found it hard to fight the tears that came. "Am I really…this weak?"

"Well, that's one way of putting it."

Sakura whipped out a kunai, stepping over Naruto and facing whoever had just spoken. In the trees above her were two people, both members of Konohagakure and maybe a year older than her. One a boy with long hair and pale pupil less eyes, a Hyuuga beyond a shadow of a doubt. The other was a girl with her hair tied up into two buns on either side of her head. As soon as she saw them, she heard Lee shout, "Neji-san! Tenten-san!"

The girl, Tenten, shook her head. "Lee, what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into now?"

Lee appeared abashed, but otherwise resolved. "Yosh! I saw this beautiful flower being attacked by three most unyouthful opponents, and decided to intervene."

Sakura blushed at being called beautiful, not saying anything about Sasuke just yet. "If he hadn't been here, my team and I wouldn't have lasted too long."

The boy, Neji, narrowed his eyes. "Is that an 'earth scroll'?"

Sakura's eyes widened, unable to move because of Naruto, but knowing that they needed the scroll too. Tenten raised her hand in front of her, both scrolls in hand. "Relax, we've already got our scrolls."

Neji scowled, "We could always eliminate the competition now."

"Neji-san, how unyouthful!" Lee shouted, stumbling forward. "She is a member of Konohagakure no Sato, the same as you or me or Tenten! We shouldn't be fighting each other; we need to focus on helping one another!"

Neji scoffed. "Yes, because traveling together would be so very beneficial."

Tenten shrugged. "There's strength in numbers."

"In which case, can we come too?"

All eyes turned to Team 10 as they finally came out of the bushes. All of them appeared star struck in one way or another, though Shikamaru was looking at Naruto warily. "Troublesome. Look, we all have both of our scrolls, right? So all we have to do is head for the tower, and we'll be good. Three team's verses one would make fighting us such a drag."

Neji said nothing more, relenting to their suggestion. Meanwhile, Ino was looking between Naruto and Sakura. Having been there the whole time, she'd seen everything that had happened. From Sakura cutting off her hair, to Naruto's hoodoo voodoo act and the odd but powerful attack. She'd never expected either to be nearly as strong as they'd shown themselves to be, and that was mind boggling. Especially since Ino had been in Naruto's mind, and had seen the place where he put all of his jutsu. Whatever that technique was, it wasn't something he'd known before the first exam. _'So where did he learn it?'_

All thought on Naruto were cut off for Ino, as foul chakra exploded from the tree hollow.

* * *

AN: Ending with Sasuke awakening. The only problem? No Oto genin to fight. Important information? Well, I'm pretty sure you'll want to stay tuned and see what happens!

Quick question…why does everyone hate Dosu and Zaku? I mean, I know they're bad guys, but people love most of the other 'bad guys'. I mean come on, people like Kin, and she barely does anything besides be used as a sacrifice for one of the Hokage's. Plus, their mission is to _kill Sasuke_, who many people love to hate, usually with Sakura. So why…wait…I get it. They love Kin because she actually 'hurts' Sakura by making her cut off her hair. They don't like Zaku because he get's beaten up by said girl and guy, while Dose does seemingly nothing! Of course! Ha, I'll show you all! They will be pieces in my story yet…I just need to figure out how.

Because Lee didn't meet Sakura in the area before they entered the exams, his saving her from the Oto genin was her first impression. Pretty good first impression eh? Bet Sasuke never got to make a first impression like _that_. The squirrel on the shoulder would definitely add to the heroic pose; adding to the awe inspiring aura, and his youthful power even if he did lose. Ah, the youthful flames of youth will prevail! …and I need to avoid channeling Gai or Lee. It's interesting, but dangerous.

I named the red head Han'ishiki. Well…technically Kushina did. I swear, he was going to be nameless, but Kushina wanted to yell at him for interrupting her. And so, I chose the most fitting name. Don't blame me…blame Kushina.

The mindscape sequence was chopped off with a good purpose! Mainly to let you all settle into the memory of Naruto just going along with what Kushina is saying. There's also a good reason behind him just accepting all of this without batting an eye; he's Naruto. He trusts people until they're seconds from stabbing him in the back, and only then beats them up. He's a genius like that.

Next time on Word of Honor; _Bloodline Basics._ Sasuke's wakes up call changes, and Kushina explains the few of 'need to know _right now_' parts of Naruto's bloodline.


	9. Bloodline Basics

Admittedly, I'm not sure about updating so soon as Mangahero18 pointed out that I might burn out from updating so fast and to give it some time…but I'm still on fire. Anyone got advice on how to 'slow down' on the updates?

Also, thank you all you reviewers for your reviews!

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Disclaimer: I own not Naruto. Or the rights to Microsoft Word, but as you can see, I've been putting the program to _very_ good use! Let's just hope I don't butch either.

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Word of Honor

_Chapter 9: Bloodline Basics_

Sarutobi took a long drag on his pipe, looking out the window of the tower in the center of the Forest of Death. He wasn't worried about the teams that had been sent from his own village; he had faith in the decisions of their jonin senseis, and in what they'd been allowed to teach their genin.

He hung his head at the thought of the different laws that had been set up by him just after the Second Great Shinobi War. Back then, they hadn't had nearly the same rules about teaching their students. However, when Sarutobi had been appointed Hokage, he'd learned from the other village's mistakes. He'd seen what their missing-nin could do, no matter their beginning skill level. Momochi Zabuza was one such example; a genin taught to do far more than was necessary that just so happened to turn into one of the most vicious missing-nin to have come from Kirigakure no Sato. Proof that their methods currently worked could be seen in the fact that Team 7, a team that had been given only what was necessary to learn, had taken on and defeated said missing-nin.

That hadn't gone over so well from their sensei when he'd been told about it. Kakashi understood the theory just as much as he did when he'd learn about the laws, but he'd pushed himself to get around those barriers the moment he'd figured it out when he'd turned eight years old. Thankfully, he was a different man now. He followed the law, though teamwork was his main focus, and didn't push his genin to pass their limits like he had himself. He let them push themselves as much as they knew they could, trying to distance himself to keep from pushing the boundaries of the law.

Sarutobi rubbed the bridge of his nose, sighing as he turned away. His team had potential, and actually had a pretty good shot of becoming chunin. He would've thought only Sasuke and Sakura would pass, but Naruto had surprised him. Just like the other two, he'd gotten full marks on his test. The curious thing was that none of the chunin had seen _how_ he'd gotten the answers. One chunin theorized that someone had managed to slip him the answers at some point, but no one had seen any such transaction. It was…professional.

Speaking of his favorite blonde, he turned to the other side of the room. Seated on the corner of his desk, was the gift Naruto had given him. He'd nearly jumped out of his skin when Naruto had barged in, having expected Naruto to pull off some kind of prank for his birthday. Instead, he got him a tree. A bonsai tree.

It had been a rather touching gift, especially since Naruto had never known about his birthday before, because he'd expected something…worse. Obviously he'd had help, because it was beyond Naruto's mental capacity to buy something, anything really, that Sarutobi would like and that wouldn't be useless. Like ramen coupons or a painted face on the Hokage Monument. Granted, Naruto telling him that he was getting him the gift because 'you're old as dirt, and I heard this tree will be older than you so you'll have something to do when you make me Hokage' was not the most intelligent thing to say. But it was the _Naruto_ thing to say.

Sitting down at his desk, and looking at the tree, it also reminded him very much of just how much patience it took to deal with the young up and coming genin that were entering the tower. He just hoped that Naruto and his team proved their sensei's faith was not misplaced, and arrived safely. Smiling at that thought, it didn't last long as someone knocked at the door.

"Come in."

The chunin that entered looked nervous. Hesitantly, he spoke. "Sir, two teams have made it to the tower already."

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow. That wasn't something to be hesitant about. "I see, a new record for fastest to the tower. I'll have to go down and congratulate them when I get the chance." Sarutobi tented his fingers, and rested his chin on the point. "Let's not beat around the bush. What's the bad news?"

The chunin didn't bat an eyelash at his bluntness, most likely knowing that Sarutobi would want to know what was wrong. "Orochimaru is suspected to have entered the exams."

Sarutobi stared at the chunin, not saying anything for a moment as he mulled over what that would mean. _'Orochimaru…you've returned? But…what are you after? What plan have you thought up?'_

"Hokage-sama?" The chunin said, regaining his attention. "Anko has also entered the tower. She reports to have had contact with her former sensei."

Sarutobi pushed himself out of his chair, moving slowly so as to not disturb his chair. "I see. Well then we'd better go see to her condition. Knowing my former student, I doubt he would simply return her to us."

The chunin nodded, following after him as they walked to the room that Anko was in. As he stopped in front of the door, he sighed. It was going to be a long day.

**-xxxxx-**

"Sakura who…did that to you?"

"S-Sasuke-kun?"

It was an odd sight for all who watched to see. Sasuke, who'd been unconscious moments before had awoken, wreathed in dark chakra with black flame-like marks running down his left arm and up the left side of his face. Not wasting a moment, his eyes had zeroed in on Sakura and her injuries, Sharingan whirling and taking in everyone in the clearing as though looking for an enemy.

"Sasuke-kun?" Ino said, her eyes not able to understand what she was seeing. She'd always seen her Sasuke as a valiant knight, who she would fight beside and win the right to stand beside him. This though, was like looking into the eyes of an enemy, and recognizing a former friend. She'd never seen Sasuke use his Sharingan before, but with the tainted chakra that spun around him, it seemed to make his eyes seem far more _evil_ than she'd thought possible. And she'd never believed that Sasuke's eyes could look evil in the first place.

Not only that, but he'd immediately focused on Sakura. Granted, she was injured, but to think that her being injured had garnered his attention like this was disturbing for Ino. She'd done so much, gone out of her way and even got Naruto to help, and here he was worried about _Sakura _of everyone there.

'_No, he's not worried.'_ Ino realized, noticing that his eyes took in everyone in the clearing hungrily. _'He's…hunting. He's looking to fight someone…and Sakura's his excuse to fight them. What…what's going on with him?'_

"Uchiha-san." Neji said from the other side of the clearing. "We are not your enemy. Suppress your chakra."

Sasuke looked at his hand, clenching and unclenching it experimentally. "Why? I feel great. In fact, I feel…great." He looked up, a sickening smirk on his face. "He gave me power. I…I understand now –"

"Uchiha-san, if you do not suppress your chakra, I'll be forced to do so for you." Neji said, sliding into the Jyuuken basic stance with the veins around his eyes bulging out as he called upon his Byakugan.

Seeing Sasuke about to take Neji up on the offer, Sakura felt a lump in her throat. _'This…this isn't Sasuke-kun. No, Sasuke-kun is more than this.'_ She thought as she jumped between them. "Sasuke-kun! They aren't our enemy! They, they helped us…so please."

Sasuke stared into her eyes, his Sharingan etching her terrified yet resolute expression. Still somewhat high off the initial release of the seal, he felt himself lock up as his eyes met hers. It seemed like an eternity, the chakra making his eyes memorize her expression thoroughly. He wouldn't be the first to admit it, but that expression terrified him.

He figured he'd looked pretty similar when Itachi had killed his clan, though without the resoluteness.

His eyes trailed to everyone in the clearing a second time, this time looking closer at their faces. Ino and Choji seemed similar to Sakura, with Choji placing his hands closer together to form a seal should Sasuke try anything. Shikamaru and Tenten were observant, knowing that he was acting like a threat, but unsure of what their next move was. Neji stared back into his own eyes, with his own soul piercing gaze that seemed a thousand yards and more. And Naruto…

"What…what happened to Naruto?" Sasuke asked, slowly pushing back the tainted chakra. He needed to focus, and right now his thoughts felt strange. When the seal was completely repressed, he fell to his hands and knees, his breath ragged and his eyes burning from borderline chakra exhaustion.

Ino spoke for the group, no one else responding well to Sasuke's violent change in demeanor. "Naruto fought the Oto genin off when they tried to attack you."

"Oto?" Sasuke questioned, the word coming out raspy and harsh in his throat. He'd never heard of them.

Ino nodded. "Lee-san and Sakura had been holding them off, and were pretty beat up by them." She glanced at Sakura, then looked away sheepishly. "I was actually going to drag my team out to help when Naruto showed up. It was really weird though. It was like he never really woke up. Like he was fighting in his sleep."

Tenten groaned. "Great, there's another one out there." She muttered, looking towards Lee as she said it. When everyone else looked at her, she explained. "Lee trained so much, he somehow found a way to keep running and training in his sleep. One time he was even found fighting while asleep.

Said spandex clad genin seemed obviously to everyone's gaze, as he nodded in agreement with Ino's statement. "Indeed. It was shortly after myself and Sakura had attempted to fight them off. The Oto shinobi…they were strong. They said their attacks were able to move at the speed of sound, and proved that they could unbalance me."

Sasuke looked at Lee, then back at Sakura. "Sakura, who's this?"

Sakura blinked. "Oh! This is Rock Lee. He helped me before Naruto drove the Oto genin off."

Sasuke looked at Naruto again, once again in disbelief. _'Naruto was able to defeat that giant snake, and three unknown genin that Sakura and Lee couldn't take on? Well…I guess he's doing pretty good for himself then. Whatever training he's doing is working if he can fight off…wait. Something's not adding up.'_

"Are you trying to tell me…that Naruto's somehow…been getting _stronger_ since we've been in the forest?"

Sakura gave him a curious look. "What do you mean Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke stared at Naruto, his brow twisted in bewilderment. "He got ambushed by one Ame shinobi, yet he was able to beat and stop that giant snake, and defeat a group of Oto shinobi _while asleep_. It doesn't make sense."

Lee held up his hand, looking like a little kid in the Academy as he spoke. "Perhaps he has fought more while asleep, and is not currently capable of drawing on his latent talent while awake. Truly, he has not yet discovered how to fully focus his flames of youth!"

Choji blinked at the response, speaking for the first time. "Uh, does that mean that Naruto is some kind of…sleepwalking fighter?"

Sasuke blinked, thinking over what he knew about Naruto. What he knew was oddly not a lot, and that was saying something. He knew Naruto wore orange, liked ramen, planned on becoming Hokage, could make solid clones, and had a thing for making promises. Beyond that he knew nothing. Not one damn thing.

Ino on the other hand, was nodding in agreement. It would make sense that Naruto had some 'inner force' that was driving him. It explained the guy in his mind better than believing that he had some kind of split personality. The fact that it had a definite shape meant that Naruto had been practicing this for a long time though, which made her shiver at the thought. Naruto, probably stronger than Sasuke? While asleep of all things? She'd have to tread carefully around his mind should she go looking for information without permission again.

Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome. Look, can we just get to the tower already?" Noting Sasuke's confusion, he explained. "Look, with three teams, and all of us already having both scrolls we shouldn't encounter as many enemy teams."

Sasuke didn't question why he thought they had both scrolls, the 'earth scroll' being the only obvious scroll he could see. When they asked what they should do with Naruto, he pushed himself up and offered to carry him. Naruto had saved him when he was ready to give up to that Kusa genin, and had protected his team when they were attacked while unconscious. He deserved a bit of extra rest.

He didn't expect Ino to ask Choji to help carry him, but was grateful nothing the less. He barely had enough energy as it was; having Choji shoulder some of the weight would help out a lot. Before they began their journey to the tower, Sasuke walked over and pocketed the scroll that came from who knows where.

'_Probably what the Oto guys used to bargain to get away with.'_ He looked at Naruto, tilting his head in thought. _'Naruto…you were the one who realized that Kusa genin could have killed us at any time. Yet when you were in a position of power over them…you let them go? If I'd woken before you, what would I have done?'_

As everyone around him packed up, he found that he had no good answer.

**-xxxxx-**

"Okay, so where were we?"

"We didn't even start yet." Naruto muttered, a disappointed scowl on his face. After Naruto had gotten stabbed in the face and Han'ishiki had left, Kushina had stood silently for a moment before asking the question. "You were going off how you didn't remember the 'basic concept' or something like that."

Kushina rolled her eyes, knowing Naruto's tone only too well. "Yeah, I remember now. Look there are two basic abilities that come with our bloodline. The first, is binding. I'll explain that first.

"For any other person, making a promise is just words. For an Uzumaki man, these words mean so much more. Mainly because they are _bound_ to the promises they make. Any questions yet?"

Naruto scratched his head. "Uh, how do I…activate it?"

Kushina brightened. "Oh, that's easy! You can activate it in one of two ways. The first way is you turn fifteen. The second –"

"Why fifteen? Why not from when we're born?" Naruto asked. As the question came from his mouth, it quickly shut and his head dropped. "Sorry. Please go on."

Kushina raised an eyebrow at his reaction. "No, those were good questions. If you want to know something, or for me to explain it, don't be afraid to ask. Okay?"

Naruto nodded. "Got it. So, why fifteen?"

"Well, do you expect baby's to be able to make promises?" Kushina asked, a bemused look on her face. "Have you ever seen little kids make those pinky promise's kids make? What would happen if years later those kids were still keeping their promise's, but had forgotten them because they were so young? That's why it usually activates when they turn fifteen; people are...more grown up. They can begin to deal with the consequences of their actions and are usually taught how to handle when it happens.

"The second way to activate it is by making a powerful oath." Kushina continued. "These kind of promises are very difficult to predict, because any one of them could go awry, and are usually made by clan members who haven't been taught about their bloodline yet. You're probably like me, falling into the second category because we weren't told that doing that was a very _bad_ idea."

Naruto looked thoughtful, mulling over what he'd just heard. "So…I made some kind of huge promise, and that activated my bloodline?"

Kushina nodded. "Yes. It probably was something that really brought focus to your life."  
Naruto's eyes widened. "You mean that promising Sakura that I wouldn't go on dates activated my bloodline? That so unfair!"

Kushina blinked at Naruto's outburst, then began laughing. "Oh man, that's funny."

Naruto scowled. "What? What's so funny?"

"That sort of promise? That would be so flimsy and weak, you wouldn't think twice about breaking it if your bloodline weren't already activated." Kushina said, grinning from ear to ear at Naruto's confused expression. "No, your promise was probably bigger, and meant more to you. Think back on what kind of promise might do that."

Bowing his head and folding his arms, Naruto thought back and forth through his life. He'd declared that he'd become Hokage, but that wasn't a promise. He'd promised that he wouldn't play pranks anymore, but he'd already had his bloodline active before then. He'd stabbed himself in the hand…

"Oh! When I promised I wouldn't back down!" Naruto exclaimed.

Kushina nodded. "Bingo. Thing is, if you had just let it be empty words, your bloodline would have activated later. But when you didn't run from Zabuza, you brought it out and gained the strengths that come with this bloodline."

Naruto grinned, rubbing the bridge of his nose sheepishly. "Hehehe, I'm awesome." Pausing in thought, he raised his hand. "Kushina-san, what sort of abilities do we have?"

"Well, remember how I told you I wouldn't be able to tell you much because you're a boy and I'm a girl?"  
"Yeah."

"Well, I kinda remember why that is." Kushina said, pulling a blackboard from…hammer space. On the board, there were two chalk people with yin-yang symbols in them. "Now, say the person on the left is a girl, and the person on the right is a boy.

"Uzumaki girls are really in tune with their yin chakra, or spiritual chakra. Because of this, we have to push more of our yang chakra, or physical chakra, into it to manifest our abilities. The only ability I really found that us girls could do was create chains constructed completely of chakra that were really good at binding opponents."

"Wow." Naruto said, his eyes widening as the chalk person animatedly reacted to what she was saying. The top half of its yin-yang circle glowed white, before pushing into the other half. Then, chalk chains sprouted from the 'girl's' back in a way that looked really cool. "Man, I wish I was a girl."

Kushina raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh? And what makes you think that being a girl is all that great?"

Naruto grinned. "You can make _chains_ out of _chakra_. How is that NOT totally awesome?"

"Well…you have to deal with all the…girly things that come with being a girl." Kushina said, not sure how to explain being a girl to Naruto.

"Hey, maybe my Oiroke no Jutsu can do that for me!" Naruto grinned, placing his hands into the seal for his technique.

Kushina's eyes widened as Naruto was enveloped into a cloud of smoke. When he returned, he…was a she. An honest to goodness girl, covered only by the smoke that surrounded her. She had to rub her eyes to make sure she wasn't just hallucinating as Naruto tried to do what the blackboard had shown him. A tick mark grew on her head as she realized what Naruto had just done. An instant later, she'd drawn back her arm and slammed it into his head. "Baka!"

Naruto returned in a burst of smoke, rubbing it sheepishly. "Uh…sorry?"

Kushina rubbed her forehead in exasperation, trying not to blush at what had just happened. "It…it doesn't work like that. You can't just use an elaborate Henge (Transformation) into a girl and expect to suddenly be able to do all the stuff that girls do."

"Aw, that sucks." Naruto moaned, wondering if he _could_ make it work with enough pushing. After all, the chains were awesome. What could possibly be better than that?

"Now for the guys. Uzumaki guys, like yourself, are more in tune with your yang chakra. Since guys are more physical in nature means that you can make your yin chakra capacity grow faster than even other shinobi. This means that when you learn that when you learn powerful techniques, you can begin practicing them and using them in battle younger than any other shinobi. It also means that if you weren't trained while you were young, your chakra control will be much harder than it needs to be when you're older." Kushina said, talking in hopes of distracting herself. So far, it wasn't working as well as she had hoped. "The connection to your yang chakra is what makes you bound to your promises."

Naruto blinked, very much distracted by the return to the topic. "Wait…so the girls don't have to keep their promises?"

Kushina shook her head. "No. Us girls are able to bind our opponents, while you are bound to your promises."

"…we got screwed on our end didn't we?" Naruto asked, scowling at this revelation. He should've known that guys were getting the short end of the stick.

"Hey, that's not true." Kushina said, pointing to the board again. "You just need to figure out your key to unlock the full extent of your strength."

Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "Key?"

"Yes, key. It's more of a codeword, really." Kushina said with a shrug. "I didn't have to worry about learning anything like that, but I did learn that Uzumaki guys have some 'word' that they say that enhances their abilities. It's unique to each guy, so you have to find it on your own."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Really?" his voice quickly became skeptical as he thought of something. "How does saying a word make me stronger?"

"Well, your body is not always working at one hundred percent. Everyone who's alive represses their full strength so that they don't over exert themselves. If they did, their muscles would disintegrate. Other people have found a way to temporarily get around those limitations by unlocking the Kaimon (Gate of Opening) in order to use more than their usual amount of physical strength. By making a promise, you can access slightly more physical strength and chakra than you normally could. It's not quite the same as opening the gate, but it's more than you normally would use."

Naruto looked skeptical. "Really? You mean that I'll be faster and stronger when I make a promise then when I don't?"

"**Smarter too."**

Naruto leapt a foot in the air, which was pretty impressive seeing as he was still sitting down. He looked over his shoulder at Han'ishiki, who had returned to the balcony. "Where did you go?"

"**I had to take care of your promise since you wouldn't have been able to considering your current unconscious condition. Don't worry, your teammates are safe."**

Naruto shook his head looking very, _very_ confused. "Uh, okay? Thanks? Now what did you mean by smarter? Are you calling me dumb?"

Han'ishiki looked to Kushina, who sighed. "Naruto, there's no easy way of explaining this…Han'ishiki is your subconsciousness. Normally people use all of their mind, focused on a lot of thing at once and change by learning new things. Uzumaki's are born with an enhanced subconsciousness that is higher functioning than their conscious mind that they can delve into when they make promises or go about life."

"I don't get it." Naruto muttered, trying to wrap his mind around what she'd just said.

"**Basically, you are an idiot with a subconscious that can tell you to do things that would normally be suicidal, or that you don't realize you're doing. Basically, you've got untapped genius hidden in your subconscious."**

There was a short silence in the room as Naruto stared at Han'ishiki and Kushina. "…the only part of that I understood was the 'you're an idiot' and 'untapped genius' part." Grinning widely, he jumped up. "Which means that my bloodline is totally more awesome than Sasuke's! Woohoo! I'm smarter than I look!"

Kushina slapped her forehead exasperatedly. "No, Naruto. It's not better or worse than…wait, Sasuke? Uchiha Sasuke?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

"I thought so!" Kushina's eyes lit up. "Did he grow up to be as cute as I thought he'd be?"

"I don't know…" Naruto said, looking betrayed. _'He didn't even have to meet her to make her bend to his charm! Curse you and your creepy ability to make instant fan girls Sasuke!'_

Kushina sighed. "Aw, too bad. I knew his mom, and I always told her that he would be cute as a button."

Naruto's eyes widened. "You knew Sasuke's mom? But…that would mean you're not that old!"

A cold chill washed over him. "Old huh? And what made you think that I'm old?"

Naruto gulped. "Uh…Han'ishiki called you senzo?"

The cold rush turned into flaming righteous fury. Surprisingly, it was actually directed towards Han'ishiki instead of Naruto. "This is getting out of hand!"

Han'ishiki didn't so much as blink under Kushina's gaze. **"You're doing what you need to, and what we both know he can handle. You know the consequences of telling him to much from experience. Remember to walk carefully senzo."**

Kushina winced as she remembered the incident that had nearly caused her to be taken to Kumogakure. "Oh, right." She turned to Naruto, giving him a stern glare. She would make certain that Naruto didn't fall into the same situation that she herself had all those years before. "Naruto, I want you to remember something. Your bloodline is a powerful tool for you to use, and other people will want it, or want to use you because you'll be the ultimate trustworthy person. There are even some people who will do anything to get you because of your bloodline."

To her surprise, Naruto seemed to understand. "People like Zabuza?"

Kushina had to pinch herself as she swore she saw the corners of Han'ishiki's mouth _twitch upwards_ at what Naruto had said. **"Not quite like Zabuza. He was actually a pretty decent person, and only took Haku to ensure his survival."** His face shifted to his normal deathly serious expression, which seemed even more accentuated by the stress lines on his face. **"But there are others out there…other people who are **_**worse**_** than Zabuza. People who will send good guys like Zabuza or shinobi who are powerful like he was but as greedy as Gato, because they are seeking your power. Even within your own village, there will be people looking to step upon others and use you as a way to do that. You cannot break your promises, which means that you would be at their mercy if you aren't carful, and would be utterly crushed beneath them. Do you understand what I'm saying?"**

Swallowing hard, Naruto nodded quickly. Naruto liked Zabuza, but if there were people as strong as him who were more like Gato, he was certain that he wouldn't be able to fight them off. Not yet.

Han'ishiki nodded. **"Good. You're beginning to understand."**

Kushina palmed her face. "Okay, enough you two. Back to me. Now Naruto, I want you to repeat what you understood back to me."

Naruto nodded. "Okay. I have a bloodline. Which make me have to use my yang chakra when I make promises that make me stronger and smarter than other people." Naruto scratched his head. "Uh, is that really it? I mean, that's all the abilities my bloodline gives me?" His eyes widened, his hand shooting into the air. "Oh! Oh! You said there were two abilities!"

Kushina shook her head. "That's right, there is a second basic ability that us Uzumaki have that you should know. You're bloodline enhances your vitality."

"My what?" Naruto asked, having never heard the word before.

Kushina sighed. "Think of vitality as 'life force'."

Naruto frowned, but nodded. "Okay, I get that. But what's so special about it?"

"Well, like with the stuff before, it's different for guys and girls. For girls, because our bloodline is more focused on our yin chakra, we only have so much physical vitality, while having a lot of mental vitality. On our last legs, we can power thought most situations on willpower alone. Unlike men though, as we grow older as we age though our minds stay as sharp as when we are at our prime. We do live longer than most people, but physically we won't be able to fight like men will at an advanced age."

Despite being oblivious to most things, Naruto did pick up on what Kushina had said. "What does that mean?"

Kushina rubbed the back of her head nervously. "It means…well, your abilities come from using yang chakra. Since Uzumaki's vitality is directly tied the chakra they use most, as long you have enough excess yang chakra you'll bounce back faster than your average shinobi. As you age, you'll actually become more difficult to defeat, though it won't be impossible since you _will_ slow down."

Kushina allowed Naruto a short reprieve as he digested this information. After all, when most people heard this, they started out jumping for joy, before sobering up years later. She wasn't sure what to do though, seeing as Naruto didn't seem to be reacting in any way.

Finally, Naruto spoke. "So…if me and my friends weren't shinobi, I'd probably outlive my friends?"

Kushina smiled. She'd expected him to immediately jump at being able to fight even when he was old. However, when presented with this fact, Naruto was showing a surprising amount of maturity, thinking of the friend he would be leaving behind. It made her feel quite proud of him.

"**Yes."** Han'ishiki said, cutting through both of their thoughts. **"However, you can't just forget that you're still just as mortal as anyone else; you just heal fast and get harder to kill before you slip up and get killed."**

Naruto blinked, staring at Han'ishiki. Then, "So I'll be the most kickass Hokage ever! Even when I'm as old as Hokage-jiji, I'll still be able to take names and –"

"Naruto!" Kushina said, cutting off his tirade. "There's a little bit more. Because of this ability, you'll be more resilient to certain techniques because you can heal faster. For instance, opening the Kaimon I mentioned earlier, and learning the techniques you can use by opening it aren't easier, but are safer for you to use more often than a normal shinobi." Her eyes glinted dangerously as she stared down Naruto. "However, if you go around trying to learn any technique like that before you become jonin, I will knock your empty head right off your shoulders."

Naruto gulped, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Okay, but you'll have to hit pretty hard. Sakura-chan has been hitting me for a long time."

"And how old is she?" Kushina asked in a falsely sweet tone.

"Uh, twelve?"

"I see. Don't you think that someone who's most definitely older than her might just have the experience to hit you far harder than some twelve year old?"

Naruto paled, nodding his head and straightening in fear. "Yes Kushina-san."

Han'ishiki looked between the two, silently debating. _**"Should I tell her? Hm, well, Naruto is going to pull a Naruto…so eventually I won't have to tell her. But if I tell her now, I'll be more ready to enjoy the show. Decisions, decisions."**_

Kushina smiled. "Good boy. You now know what you need to about your bloodline. You are to come back here again once you figure out how to get back here on your own, got it?"

Naruto nodded, his head feeling like it would fall off with how fast it shook. "Yes."

"Alright then. When you get back here, I'll teach you some more about our bloodline. Now go, your friends are getting worried." Kushina told him, making a 'shooing' motion with her hand. As soon as she left, she sighed. "I wish I didn't have to be his teacher."

Han'ishiki shook his head. **"You have no choice. Had you been alive, he would have learned what you'll teach him now. Here though, if you tell him you're his mother –"**

"Yeah, I remember." Kushina said, pushing her hair behind her ear. "I just…I just really want to see my son grow up to be the best he can be."

"**You will…in a way. And you will still be helping him to grow into the man you want him to be."**

Kushina frowned. "You think about Naruto in a really detached way. I mean, you're his subconscious, you're just the other half of him." Not getting a reply, she pressed on. "Right?"

Han'ishiki said nothing; merely turned and walked away. As he left, Kushina felt her chest tighten, and gently placed her hand on it to quell her pounding heart. There were apparently more things she needed to learn about the guy's side of the bloodline, like what Han'ishiki really was.

She also needed to figure out how to teach Naruto the hijutsu (Clan Techniques) that she knew.

* * *

AN: Scene. And there's the first clip on Naruto's bloodline abilities! Along with a pretty pointless part with the Sandaime, and a scene where Sasuke is forced to question himself verse the ever growing Naruto.

Just so you know, I think that the question Sasuke asked does make sense. After all, Naruto got captured and tied up by a single Ame shinobi…and was capable of stopping a giant snake? I think they had that moment when they fought the Ame team later…but I felt it was necessary to ask now. After all, without knowing about Fuzzball, what other conclusion could they come to? Seriously?

And just to make sure you all know, Han'ishiki was the one who fought the Oto genin, not Naruto. Which means Naruto doesn't know the Bijuu's Imari. Well, not yet.

Next time on Word of Honor: _Preliminary Prelude_. The genin finish traveling to the tower and meet with a certain jonin sensei, while Kabuto's team botches a break in.

EDIT: Removed the unneeded bold paragraphs.


	10. Preliminary Prelude

Quick question for my fans…do you really think I like writing some of the stuff Naruto has to go through? Getting hit by Sakura, bullied by Ino, and his mom can't tell him who she is? That's the sort of stuff I'm trying to change! The hitting and bullying will come…pretty soon; and while the mom thing isn't normal, it's needed. Trust me, I'll explain it to you.

As for the 'overpowered bloodline' some have described my bloodline as…the Sharingan and Byakugan were pumped up to be unbeatable, but were later shown to have flaws. Be patient, those flaws will show up.

Just wanted to say that. Now to the chapter!

* * *

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the creative power of youth that I've been using to power through all of these chapters! Yosh! Explode in the springtime of youth~!

_**

* * *

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Word of Honor

_Chapter 10: __Preliminary Prelude_

Naruto groaned as his rolled over in his sleep deprived state. After talking to Han'ishiki and Kushina, he'd left his mind and fallen back to sleep almost the moment he 'woke up'. He could feel the rough ground against his back, the same forest smell engulfing him and making him feel at ease. Then his mind began to kick start, and he remembered the snake genin that had attacked them.  
His eyes cracked open open, his jaw clenched as he noticed someone standing over him. If they thought they would catch him off guard, he would prove them wrong. As the person came into focus behind his thinly veiled eyes he relaxed as he recognized the hunkering form that stood over him.

"He's been asleep for half the day now. What should we do? Kick him awake?"

"Can I do it?"

Naruto felt his eyebrow twitching rapidly as he heard Shikamaru and Choji talking about him. He thought over kicking whoever was standing over him, but decided against it. He didn't know what was going on, and jumping into something was something that had gotten him into trouble in the first place. Groaning loudly, he shifted to push himself up.

"Darn, he's waking up."

Naruto scowled at Choji as he looked away, disappointment written on his chubby face. Looking around the area, his eyes widened in surprise as he saw yet another team along with his own. He felt a small amount of relief seeing his teammates alright, and let a small sigh escape his lips. Then, his mind caught on to who was standing over him…and who their third teammate was.

"Hey Naruto!"

Naruto leapt into the air and scrambled back to a tree. He then scrambled up the tree until he stood on the upper portion of the tree branch, hanging off the branch like a monkey. His wide eyes stared down at Ino with terror, while she stared back with confusion. She and everyone else in the clearing.

"Naruto…what are you doing?" Sasuke asked, looking at Naruto with thinly veiled amusement.

Naruto shook his head, his eyes never leaving Ino. Sakura, who had been sitting on the other side of the clearing by Lee, stood up and shouted at Naruto. "Hey! Get down from there Naruto, you're embarrassing us!"

Naruto began to shake his head again when he stopped, his eyes snapping back to Sakura. "Sakura-chan, what happened to your hair?"

Sakura winced as she tried to smile as best she could, running her hand through her hair. "I just wanted to change my image. I like my hair longer, but you know…in the forest it can get in the way."

Naruto blinked, noting Sasuke and Ino look at Sakura with an odd expression. "Uh…okay." He then noticed the three strangers in the clearing, his eyes narrowing at them. "Who are they?"

Sakura looked at them with a sheepish smile. "This is Neji, Tenten, and Lee. They agreed to travel with Team Ten and us to get to the tower."

Naruto looked between the three members. Neji had a very 'Sasuke' air around him; arrogant, snobbish, and holier-than-though pose. Tenten was the girl of the team with her hair tied up into two buns. Unlike Neji, she seemed more approachable, albeit the way she looked at him had a certain proud quality that made him nervous. The last guy, Lee, was…awesome. He wore a green jumpsuit with orange legwarmers and his headband tied around his waist like a belt. Despite his ragged and disheveled appearance, he had a large grin on his face when he saw Naruto. Naruto instantly liked him.

"Sakura-chan, your youthful companion appears to have a rather surprising way to wake up in the morning." Lee said, looking up and down the tree with a critical eye. "Hm, perhaps rapidly climbing trees when I wake will make me stronger in my sleep as well. What do you think?"

Sakura giggled, shrugging in answer. "I don't know. I've never seen him do this before."

Naruto frowned. He didn't like Lee. He didn't like him at all.

He opened his mouth to yell at Lee, but felt a strange lack of desire to actually yell at Lee. He wasn't allowed to ask Sakura on dates, so what would fighting for the 'right' to date her do for him? He bit the inside of his cheek, biting back whatever response he'd planned on making. Considering Naruto as Naruto, it was actually a really big step forward.

Naruto let a small sigh escape him. It quickly got sucked back in when Ino yelled up at him. "Naruto! Get down here!"

"No!" Naruto yelled back, hugging the branch tighter. He was _not_ coming anywhere near Ino when she could possibly make him do something he didn't want to do.

Ino stomped her foot in frustration. "Uzumaki Naruto, you get down here or so help me I'll make you!"

There was some snickering from Choji and Sakura as they watched Ino attempt to get Naruto down. Choji's laughter died in his throat as Ino formed a very familiar seal. "Ino wait, you really shouldn't use that right now. We're still in the middle of the exams, remember?"

Ino groaned, her hands falling to her sides in frustration. "Fine." She turned to Lee, a sickeningly sweet smile on her face. "Oh Lee? Would you mind getting Naruto down for us? We need to head to the tower, and he's holding us up."

Not waiting to see if Lee would do what Ino asked, Naruto gripped the tree with chakra and scrambled further up the tree. "Let's get going!"

Lee's eyes seemed to twinkle as he saw Naruto jumping towards the tower. "Yosh! Naruto-kun's flames burn most brightly my friends! We too much continue on our journey to the tower. If I cannot keep up, I will do five hundred push ups!"

Sakura watched Lee leap away, turning back to his teammates. "Uh, does he do that often?"

Tenten nodded, looking exasperatedly at Lee's retreating form. "Yeah, and the worst part is that he gets it from our sensei."  
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at that. "Really? Does he have the same…fashion sense?"

Neji scoffed, giving both of them a blank look. "Lee's fanatic nature didn't start out this way. Our sensei is the one who…cultivated, Lee's interests."

Sasuke watched them, before turning his attention back to Naruto and Lee's retreating forms. Was his attitude and personality what helped give Naruto strength? And if that were true, was Lee the same way? He was so confused.

Picking himself up, he took off after the two. He could hear the rest of the group leap after him, following after him towards their destination. While Lee and Naruto were in the lead, and Neji had a year of extra experience; the feel of the group moving around him made him feel as though he were leading the group. And it felt…powerful.

Sasuke shook his head. It was different kind of power from when he'd woken a few hours before. This power didn't really feel like it was _his_ power, or like it seeped from every pore and screamed out for control. This seemed to surround him, only asking to be directed and unleashed. A point in one direction could bring about the defeat of all obstacles in their path. It was so confusing.

Glancing at the three teams around him, he questioned the difference between the two different powers he'd felt in the few hours.

**-xxxxx-**

The three teams made it to the tower rather easy. While easy to target due to the size of their group, it actually would probably be suicidal to attack a group of that size in the first place. As such, within another two hours, after having spent a little under three of the five days they'd been given to arrive. Granted, there were a few teams that had seemed pretty confident, but Neji had helped steer them clear of having to fight with them for the time being.

Walking to one of the doors they could enter, they separated as closely as possible so as to not get caught off guard by any of the ambush teams that would attack when they were at their weakest. Naruto looked back at the forest, wondering if he would return to it at some point.

With a small sigh, he followed his team into the tower. They weren't nearly as mad at him as he'd expected. Sure, he'd pointed out that the Kusa genin they'd been so ready to give up to planned on killing them regardless, but his method needed work. They'd mentioned something about an Oto genin attack, which he figured was what Han'ishiki had taken care of.

After reading the poem in their room, opening their scrolls, and getting lectured to by Iruka, they were allowed rooms to retire to. Naruto chuckled a bit when Iruka told them to 'retire' to their rooms. It reminded him of what he was here to do; impress the Hokage with his awesome moves, and show him why he would make a great Hokage.

As he walked the halls with his team, they came across their traveling companions shortly after. Giving only brief nods, they planned on heading off to find something to do. If only they had known the danger they were in.

"Yosh! My most youthful of students have arrived!"

All three teams turned to the sudden commotion, with one particular genin looking with admiration in his eyes. There was a burst of smoke as an odd man wearing clothing similar to Lee's with an unzipped chunin vest stepped forward. He had two fingers forming a circle around his eye, and was in a rather…provocative pose.

Naruto jumped in surprise. "Holy crap he's got bigger eyebrows than Bushy Brows!"

It took Lee a moment to realize that Naruto had referred to him, not that the other teams agreeing with Naruto's statement helped his focus. "Hey! Stop insulting Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

Lee snapped to attention. "Yes Gai-sensei?"

Gai placed a hand on his shoulder, tears suddenly streaming down his face. "You have done so well my youthful student! In a time where others might have faltered, you stood up and shined with the bright flames of youth that you have cultivated so well! You even went so far as to bring the young team of my eternal rival to the tower as well!"

Ino shuddered, appalled by his lack of fashion sense. "Eternal rival? Who are you talking about?"

"Yosh! I speak of one of the strongest jonin I know of, Hatake Kakashi!" Gai shouted. Team 10 turned their eyes to Team 7, a pitying look in their eyes as they looked at Gai with a stricken expression.

"Gai-sensei! We were unable to arrive at the tower within the one day I promised to myself for!" Lee shouted, looking like he would cry as well.  
Gai knelt besides him, tears once again rolling down his cheeks; though this time it was at a more sedated pace. "Lee, this forest is fraught with peril. For you to have made it through as quickly as you did brings much joy to my heart!"

Lee shook his head. "Gai-sensei! I will make up for my lacking! When the exam is over, I will run one hundred laps around Konoha…on my hands!"

"Yosh! Truly, you are my youthful student!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

And then…they hugged.

Gai's team knew better than to look, having been through his before. The other two teams had not, and fell into the trap of the sunset.

"…we're indoors. How did they get a _sunset_ while we're _inside?_" Ino yelled, wondering if her father knew any mind-wiping jutsu.

"I don't know…but I'm scared." Sakura said, her eyes twitching at the strange sight.

Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Choji just stared, silently in agreement that they would never become so eccentric when they became jonin. If this is what would happen, they'd rather remain chunin. Heck, _genin_ was better than becoming…this.

Naruto, was of a different opinion. "I've finally come to my decision!" He shouted, catching the attention of the other two members of Gai's team. Nodding as though he'd made some life changing decision, he slowly gave a thumbs up. "Bushy Brows, you're alright with me!"

Silence. Somehow, Naruto had temporarily stopped the manly display of affection as Lee and Gai turned to Naruto. Then, "Yosh! Gai-sensei, Naruto-san has acknowledged me!"

"The student of my eternal rival acknowledging my youthful student!" Gai said, his gaze falling on Naruto with a wide shiny grin. "Truly he burns with the same youthful passion that we do!"

Naruto looked between the two. "Uh…what?"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"  
"Lee!"

"Naruto!"

"What the –"

Naruto was suddenly pulled into the manly hug, increasing the creepy sunset factor to nearly blinding levels. Even Neji and Tenten were unable to protect themselves, having turned around when Lee had shouted 'Naruto'. The result was traumatic for all.

A moment later, Kakashi showed up. "Yo! I heard Sasuke's here. Do you mind if I…what happened here?"

The remaining members of the three teams were laid out on the floor. Choji seemed to have taken the worst of it, as he was foaming at the mouth while the others were either unconscious or desperately trying to claw out their eyes. A short ways away, stood three men dressed in green spandex, all of which were performing some sort of strange taijutsu ritual.

Kakashi stared at Naruto, who had somehow been convinced into wearing the green spandex. Deciding to _not_ do anything about it, he grabbed the unconscious Sasuke. "Well, you all seem to be having a good time. I'll just be taking Sasuke now. Don't mind me, I don't want to spoil your fun."

As he disappeared in a burst of smoke, the strange trio turned to the sound. "Gai-sensei, what was that?"

Gai rubbed his chin. "It was nothing of consequence. Now, follow me! We will run one hundred laps around the inside of the tower!"

Naruto grinned, dressed in the same get up that Gai and Lee usually dressed in, with his headband somehow converted to a belt for the time being. "Yosh Gai-sensei! And if we cannot do that, we will do two hundred pushups!"

"And if we can't do that, we will do three hundred kicks!" Lee added, grinning at his new training partner.

Gai's grin split his face in half. "Alright! Explode with the power of youth!"

"Hai!"

An hour later, Hyuuga Hinata was admitted to the tower infirmary. The chunin in the tower and her teammates were certain that it was trauma from seeing three spandex clad beings run in front of her. Her sensei wasn't so sure, believing that it was from seeing _one_ of the three dressed in that dastardly outfit.

Hinata herself, would have said that Kurenai was closest to being right. She could say anything for now though, her mind to full of images of how the spandex had shown off Naruto to her in that moment she had seen him rush by. A small smile crossed her unconscious face.

'_Best…day…ever.'_

**-xxxxx-**

Kabuto and his team stood on the roof of the building adjacent to Yamanaka Izo's home. After having spent the last two days trying to find the way to set up an appointment with Izo, and finding it would take to long for his tastes, Kabuto was not in a very good mood. Granted, he certainly didn't look like he was in a bad mood, but he was.

His two teammates stood next to him, knowing full and well what the plan was. Neither was nervous, figuring that they had gotten skilled enough to take on any form of civilian security Izo could afford. Because he was now a civilian, he wasn't getting the same pay that he would have as a shinobi, and as was true with most retired shinobi, he likely wouldn't hire other shinobi to protect him.

Kabuto pushed his glasses further up his nose, the rest of his face covered by cloth similar to what his teammates usually wore. While it would be an unnecessary precaution, seeing as they would kill anyone who saw them, he knew the full dangers of spying. If they failed to get the scroll that Izo had written, he would have to come back to procure it through other means. If they missed someone, and they noticed him when he showed up for their meeting in a few days, he would be left in a place surrounded by enemies. It had happened before, and he knew it could happen again.

"Alright, let's go." He said, his voice sounding raspier than it usually did. Using some medical ninjutsu, he'd temporarily changed the way all three of them usually sounded. Another precaution.

"Hai." His teammates said, following after him.

Leaping to the building across from them, the quickly gripped it with chakra and moved from sight of the window. Kabuto leaned forward, checking the window frame for any sort of seal markings. Placing his hand on either side of the wall, he grinned. "Two silencing seals, three general alarm seals, and a silent alarm seal. He's not bad." With a quick flick of his wrists, he channeled chakra into the seals and disarmed them. "I'm better though."

He could tell that his teammates were grinning viciously behind their masks. Opening the window, they filed in slowly. After checking their surroundings and finding nothing out of the ordinary, they began making their way through the halls. At certain points they split up to cover more ground, but would meet up again once again once their area was searched.

Kabuto mulled over his options when his teammates returned and reported. They'd found nothing on the floor that would be useful to Orochimaru, but that in and of itself was strange. He'd usually found that shinobi, especially Konoha shinobi kept their eccentric traits even after retirement. Even with all the research he'd done and a search of part of his home, he hadn't found what Izo's eccentric trait was. He narrowed his eyes. "This doesn't seem right."

"What do you mean?"

"It's…too easy." Kabuto replied, looking around again. The rooms had been empty of anyone, and there weren't any other forms of seals beyond the few that had been around the one window. Those seals were basic; more complex than a beginner's seals, but basic compared to what he knew. If this were one of Orochimaru's bases, an intruder would have to find the entrance and then travel down into the darkness.

He paused at the thought. Perhaps…

He walked down the stairs, not bothering with stealth at the moment. There wasn't anyone he could sense in the visible part of the building, so it was pointless to sneak around. As they reached the ground floor he placed his hands into a seal to help enhance his ability to sense chakra, aiming specifically downwards.

What he found was odd. There were several shafts that dropped straight down into a larger building-like structure. He'd looked over the original plans for the building, and knew without a shadow of a doubt that this was _not_ a normal part of the building. Smirking, he motioned his teammates towards the closest shaft. As they approached, he jerked to a stop, his hand making the 'hide' sign. Without hesitation, they hid themselves as a section of the wall opened.

Casually stepping out of the wall, oblivious to the three shinobi breaking into the building, was the young man that Kabuto had seen on the porch. Kabuto frowned, his chakra sensing reacting to his presence strangely. When he tried to sense him, he sensed that he was there, but nothing beyond that. It was like he was there in spirit, but not actually there.

The young man kept walking, yawning and patting his mask tiredly. "Man, what a day. I swear, he's trying to break me with the work load he gives me sometimes."

He stopped in the middle of Kabuto's teammates, almost as though he knew they were there. Strategically, it was the best and worst spot to be in. If he wasn't fast enough, he could get caught in a pincer attack. If he was fast enough, he could potentially take out both of them. Regardless of whether or not he knew they were there, he needed to be eliminated if they were to get further.

He subtly made an x-motion across his throat; the kill sign that he'd given to them on multiple other occasions. Neither needed any further prodding as they leapt from their hiding place. With a single stroke from both of their kunai, he was eviscerated and his throat was cut in an instant. He made a gagging noise, his eyes probably wide behind his mask. Neither of his teammates willing to risk him getting back up, slammed their kunai into his chest to insure that he was dead. As their kunai pierced him a second time though, his body disappeared in a burst of smoke. In his place was a chair that had marks from their first attack as well.

"Whoa, that was close!" He shouted loudly from the other side of the room. With both of his teammates exposed, they had little choice but to throw their kunai at him in an attempt to take him out. Their kunai struck another chair, as he replaced himself with the one right next to him. "You guys are sure persistent, aren't you? Why would you try and attack me like that?"

"You're in the way." Misumi said. Misumi, who'd been taught to make his bones softer, shot his hands forward to grab him.

At the last second, he leapt backwards, purposefully knocking his back into the table he'd been in front of him to avoid Misumi's attack. Luckily for Misumi, Yoroi had also rushed him, his hand glowing blue from his draining technique. He slammed his hand on the masked man's chest, intending to suck him dry of his chakra.

Instead he got another chair. Yoroi's eyes widened in surprise behind his glasses as a voice spoke. "Behind you."

Before he could move, a heel came down onto the junction between his neck and shoulder. A sickening crack seemed to echo through the room as his collarbone cracked under the kick. Yoroi screamed out in pain, another crack from his ribs the masked man moved in front of him.

Kabuto cursed under his breath. "We're leaving!"

Misumi glanced back at Yoroi, grimacing at his capture. Orochimaru would not be pleased to here that they'd lost one of their team members, but it couldn't be helped. They wouldn't gain anything if they were caught.

Almost as if hearing his thoughts, the masked man turned to him. "Oh? Leaving so soon? But you were trying to attack me."

Misumi shuddered, rushing out of the room. There was something strange in the way he'd said that, like he was disappointed that they were running away. It reminded him of a few of the times he'd seen Orochimaru taunting with someone. This guy, was _not_ taking them seriously.

He glanced back, seeing him still standing in the room he'd left made him feel somewhat better. The door was so close, Kabuto already outside and had likely already taken off. As he turned forward though, he felt his breath forced from his gut an his throat close up. Literally, as the masked man had somehow gotten ahead of him and struck him in both the gut and the windpipe. Choking and sputtering as he desperately attempted to get air into his lungs, he collapsed onto his face unconscious.

The masked man looked between the two intruders his hands on either side of his face as though he was surprised. "Oh dear! I just beat up two evil doers! Surely their intentions truly weren't to attack me! Oh, what should I do?"

"Tadao, enough with the innocent civilian act." A deep voice said from behind him.

Tadao turned around, the monkey mask's grin seeming to mirror the mischievous aura that surrounded him. "Aw but Izo-sensei, isn't that what I'm supposed to be? After all, I was never officially trained as a shinobi."

Izo nodded from the shadows. "Yes, but no one will know what you've done for now. Take them downstairs. I'll take care of them myself."

Tadao placed a hand in front of his mask. "My, my, my…Orochimaru's pets have made sensei angry. I wonder if they'll live? Only one way to find out!"

Scooping up the two, not bothering to pay attention to Yoroi's injuries, he marched to the shaft and jumped down with the two of them. It would be a long night for him.

Several blocks away, Kabuto looked back at the house. While he honestly could have taken the one enemy out on his own, the sudden appearance of the second was troubling. He hadn't sensed him until he was practically right next to him. That kind of suppressing power was troubling, seeing as he'd only expected one person on his level to be in the house.

Yamanaka Izo had fought in the same wars as the Sandaime. He was one of the few Yamanaka who hadn't been placed into some variant of the Ino-Shika-Cho combo, and had instead focused his attention into medical ninjutsu. He'd helped teach Tsunade much of what eventually made her famous, which had made Orochimaru curious. When he'd heard that Tsunade's medical teacher had a secret technique that he hadn't been able to teach Tsunade before she left, Orochimaru had hungered for the technique.

Had it not been for his advanced age, he would possibly be on the level of the Sannin. However, his age made him less of a threat than he would have been had Orochimaru tried to take the technique twenty years ago or so. Or so he'd thought.

"Of course." Kabuto muttered, dropping into an alley and removing the cloth covering from his face. "Izo has been taking the excess failures from Konoha to guard the techniques he's made."

His smile became darker, more twisted like his masters own. Izo had garnered his master's attention because of his techniques. Now, he also had Kabuto's due to the sheer amount of security that he had around his home. He'd have to let Orochimaru know that some of their plans would have to be changed.

"I wonder…what sort of techniques you have that are so important." Kabuto muttered. "After all, no one goes through all of this trouble just to protect some technique that isn't worth the trouble it was to create it. We'll meet again, I'm sure of it."

Putting his two missing teammates from his mind, he walked casually from the alley and into the darkness of the night. There were plans to make.

* * *

AN: I. Hate. Sneaky scenes! I prefer fight scenes to that! Holy crap that was hard to write! Sigh, shorter chapter, but with good cause!...I needed to move them to the preliminary matches. Totally filler, and totally worth it!

Naruto is...nervous around Ino. He doesn't like her because she's been manipulating him in so many ways he's probably surprised he's not a pretzel by now.

The scene with Naruto, Lee, and Gai…was _totally_ worth it! Plus, it's basically how Naruto reacted when he first met Gai and Lee, only this time he has more positive things to think of about Lee. Thus, he's sucked into the blinding world of youthfulness.

If the Kabuto breaking and entering scene seemed off, just remember that Kabuto isn't the 'direct confrontation' type. He's a spy, not a juggernaut. If he'd fought Tadao, he probably would've won, but that would be beside the point. He'd already taken out Yoroi, and if Tadao had backup they'd be screwed. So he had them fall back. Misumi was just unlucky enough to be too slow.

Next time on Word of Honor: _Preliminary Matches 1-6._ The three…well _four_ altered matches of the Preliminaries plus the normal matches!


	11. Preliminary Matches 1 through 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. It's sad, but true.

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Word of Honor

_Chapter 11: Preliminary Matches 1-6_

"Preliminaries?" Shikamaru shouted.

Sakura turned to Hayate, the sickly jonin who was proctoring the third test, giving him a confused look. "Hayate-san, I don't understand…why isn't everyone allowed to participate in the next test?"

"Um, because the first and second test was too easy this year? You see, we have to many participants remaining…according to Chunin Exam rules, we need to hold preliminaries and…reduce the number of participants for the third test." Hayate explained, his short pauses interrupted by small coughing fits. "As Hokage-sama said earlier, there will be many guests at the third test…so the fights could take too long. We are limited in time...um…so anyways those who are not feeling well…those who feel like quitting after these explanations…please come forward now, since we'll be starting the preliminaries immediately."

Kiba's eyes widened at that. "What? Right now?"

Standing right next to Kiba, Naruto gulped. After hearing what the third test was, and what its purpose was he'd found that he was not quite as assured of himself. Yes, he'd fought in the forest, but when it came down to it he hadn't done much of anything. He bit his lip, nervously shuffling from foot to foot as he questioned his abilities. Was he really ready for this? Sure he'd proclaimed that he was, but inside he felt like turning to Kakashi and begging for a technique that would help him out.

"I'd like to drop out." One of the shinobi on the far side of him said.

Naruto leaned forward and noticed that it was an Ame shinobi with a bandaged left arm and holding his stomach with said arm. Thinking back on it, Naruto realized that he recognized the shinobi. He leaned forward slightly and whispered into Sakura's ear. "That's the guy who ambushed me in the forest."

Sakura turned to him as well. "Really?"

Naruto nodded. "I remember Sasuke kicking my kunai into his arm before he stabbed him."

"Wow…I'm surprised they made it." Sakura said, noting that his teammates seemed at the top of their game and ready to rumble.

Naruto nodded. He noted the proctors marking him down, then looking back through the ranks to see if anyone else would drop out. Naruto mentally counted down the people that were there. Twenty-one people; four Konoha teams, one Suna team, one Oto team, and one Ame team. With the one Ame nin dropping out, there would be ten even matches.

"Sasuke-kun, are you sure you should fight?" Sakura suddenly said, making Naruto snap his head to Sakura with his mouth agape. "After what happened in the forest, and what that crazy Kusa shinobi did to you –"

"Sakura, let it go." Sasuke said. The look in his eye was confident, and his the smirk simply made her realize that he wouldn't back down.

Didn't stop her from trying. "Sasuke, whatever that shinobi did –"

"Kakashi took care of it." Sasuke explained, rubbing his collar absentmindedly.

Naruto looked between the two, completely and utterly lost in the conversation. "Did I miss something?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Some stuff happened while we were out." His eyes got a far away look as he remembered some of the people he'd met, and the excitement he got from thinking of fighting them. "There are a lot of strong guys that I want to fight…and they've made it here. I want to know just how much stronger I've become."

Naruto scoffed. He wanted to shout at the top of his lungs that he was being 'cool', but the talk with Kushina had made him nervous about drawing attention to himself…well, more so than running around in a green jumpsuit. It had taken Sakura and Ino jumping him when he wasn't looking to get it off earlier that day. He'd managed to smuggle it away, but couldn't wear it yet. Like he'd give up the suit that would make his training more than twice as effective as it had been normally. He wasn't _that_ stupid. Stupid fashion police.

Instead, he gave Sasuke a hard look. "Well, if you plan on doing it, you'd better promise not to lose to any of these guys."

"You too Naruto." Sasuke said. Naruto blinked, turning to Sasuke with a wide eyed look. "Naruto…I want to fight you. And it's possible that the only way that'll happen is if we get to the finals. So promise me that you'll win."  
Naruto hesitated. Were it any other time, he would have jumped and promised Sasuke. Now, he wasn't so sure he could win; at least, he did until he remembered that he'd be stronger for making this promise. He weighed his opinions very briefly.

His lips parted slightly to respond, but was surprised to find that nothing would come out. Trying again, he found himself unable to promise that he'd win to Sasuke. Already knowing it was pointless to try speaking, he instead nodded his consent. After all, that was as good as a promise, right?

Hayate began speaking again, drawing their attention back to what he was saying. Like he'd thought, there would be ten matches because there were twenty people, big whoop. The thing that really caught his attention though was the rules. A no holding back until you knock out your opponent or are told to stop. For pretty much everyone there, it was like their birthday's had come early.

They all were somewhat surprised when the large screen opened to 'control their destiny' for their matches. Everyone watched with some small amount of excitement or fear as the names flashed across the screen. A moment later, Naruto grimaced as he saw the first two names appear on the screen.

**Uchiha Sasuke verse Kagari**

Naruto actually had to laugh a little bit as he saw the blindfolded Ame shinobi. Turning to Sasuke, he gave him a quick look. _'Sasuke, if you want to fight me…you better not lose!'_

"Now, we will start the first match…with everyone else except the participants move to the upper level?" Hayate said, motioning to the stairs on either side of the room.

As they began to move, Kakashi stopped slightly behind Sasuke, muttering a few words of encouragement, and reminding him to remain focused. Sasuke nodded, understanding what his sensei meant, smirked and gave him a quick nod. He didn't want the stupid seal eating away at him, and he would not let someone else win in the fight for his mind.

Kagari on the other hand, was slightly less calm. Unlike Sasuke, his sensei simply walked up to the upper level with his remaining teammate. He had several techniques that he could use, but wasn't sure if he'd be able to win this fight. The teammate that had quit, Oboro, had warned him that the Uchiha had activated his Sharingan and knew how to use it in battle. He rolled over the abilities he had against what he knew of the Sharingan's abilities. The Oboro Bunshin no Jutsu (Hazy Clone Technique) was as good as useless against him, and he didn't know any others that he could use in an open area like this.

'_Great…I'm screwed.'_ He thought as he mulled over any other options that he might've had. Looking at Sasuke's slightly smaller frame, he smirked behind his mask. _'Heh, piece of cake. One punch should be more than enough.'_

"Both competitors ready?" Hayate asked, getting nods from both. "Begin!"

Sasuke didn't waste a second, pulling out several shuriken and throwing them in rapid succession at Kagari. Kagari leapt to out of the way, focusing on Sasuke as he pulled out several kunai and gave a quick flick of his wrist at him. His aim was lousy, but it was enough to stop Sasuke's barrage.

Taking advantage of Sasuke's momentary pause, he created several Oboro Bunshin and had them spread out to attack him. While it wasn't practical once Sasuke activated his Sharingan, it was good enough for now. Especially if he got close enough.

Sasuke grimaced as he rolled out of the way, the area now filled with several Kagari's. Cursing under his breath Sasuke activated his Sharingan. He noticed the differences in the clones chakra and Kagari's chakra almost instantly, but that instant was all Kagari needed to get in closer. Pulling out a kunai, he barely avoided being stabbed though he needed both of his hands to push against Kagari.

Kagari leaned closer to Sasuke. "Oboro had to drop out because of you. Now you're going to pay."

Sasuke smirked. "I'd like to see you try."

Kagari took advantage of his height and arm strength, and released one arm from the kunai deadlock. Drawing his fist back he slammed it into Sasuke's gut, doubling him over. Sasuke barely caught sight of the second kunai strike and react defensively before Kagari backhanded him and knocked him to the floor. Rubbing his head, he jumped back and rolled away from Kagari as he slammed his kunai into the ground Sasuke was just occupying.

Sasuke grimaced, throwing his kunai and attempted to get some space between the two of them. Despite his bravado, Sasuke was being overpowered. Physically, he was going to lose. Of course, he had more than just taijutsu to fight with.

His hands blurred through the hand signs for his signature technique. Right before he formed the last one, his eyes widened in shock as Kagari rushed forward and his fist struck him across the face before he could adequately react. He reeled back from the blow, turning it into a roll to get better footing for his counterattack.

"I didn't expect that." Kagari muttered, staring at his fist for a brief second. Sasuke had been staring right at him, but in that moment, he'd been able to catch him off guard and hit him. A hidden smile crossed his face. "I guess even the all powerful Sharingan has its flaws."

Sasuke shook his head, not understanding what had happened. He'd had his eyes on Kagari, but had been unable to keep up with him. Forming the last seal, he took a deep breath. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu! (Grand Fireball Technique)"

Kagari didn't stand a chance as he was enveloped in the flames. Flaying about wildly as he dove from the flames, he cursed into his mask. He never noticed Sasuke coming as Sasuke quickly ran forward and kicked him across the face, knocking him out.

Hayate waited for a moment before checking Kagari. Noting he was unconscious, he nodded. "Winner, Sasuke!"

Naruto and Sakura cheered their teammate's success, as Sasuke made his way up the stairs. He rubbed his cheeks in attempt to distract himself from the ache he'd gotten from being hit by someone stronger than him. He glanced back at Kagari, his mind trying to wrap itself around what had happened. Stepping next to Kakashi, he stared down at the balcony with a glazed look in his eyes. "Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi blinked, raising an eyebrow at his student. "Yes Sasuke?"

"I was able to predict what he was going to do, but I couldn't move fast enough to stop it. Do you know what happened?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yeah. Despite how pumped up some people make it, and while the Sharingan is a powerful tool, it isn't perfect." Noticing Sasuke look up in surprise, he continued. "While you can predict what your enemy can do, it's useless unless if your enemy is faster than you are and can hit you before you can react. It's basically like watching yourself getting beat up in slow motion. I'm actually surprised that it wasn't in some of the scrolls your scroll have on the Sharingan."

Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek, cursing his lack of research. He'd actually only gone over a few of the basic things that he could use with the Sharingan; the weaknesses and _glaring_ flaws that had been written down, he'd ignored. Obviously, he was now paying in bruises for his mistake.

He was just glad it wasn't his life. He looked at the screen, raising an eyebrow at the next two combatants.

**Kankuro verse Abumi Zaku**

"Will Kankuro and Zaku please report to the arena?" Hayate said, motioning for them to come down.

Kankuro smirked as he walked down the steps. For him, this would be an easy match. After all, most people weren't able to utilize their environment when there wasn't any environment to utilize. He'd already set himself up with his puppet posed as him to walk down for him, and being wrapped in the bundle he normally used to carry said puppet, no one would suspect him.

Zaku began to walk down the stairs, but was stopped by Dosu before he got to far. "Zaku, are you up to this?"

Zaku nodded. "Yeah. Whatever blonde did to me just gave me a little concussion. I can still use a couple of Zankuuha's in a row before it gets to me, and I have to take a moment. I swear, I'll get back at him. I'll kill that blonde if it's the last thing I do while I'm here."

Dosu nodded, understanding his companions train of thought. "Alright, but try to stay under the radar for now." He glanced at Kankuro, who stared up at them. A small smirk crossed his face as he stared down at him. "This might actually be better than planned. After all, if you beat this guy it'll help throw off any extra suspicion."

Zaku raised an eyebrow before grinning darkly. "Got it. I'll _vent_ some of my frustration on this guy for now."

Hayate watched the small transaction with a focused look. _'Anko mentioned Orochimaru had an Oto hiate when he confronted her and the Sandaime ordered that we let them compete in order to see what Orochimaru had planned for them. We got some of their exploits on the cameras in the forest, but this should give us some more information we may need.'_

Both opponents stood across from each other with a haughty look in their eyes as they stared each other down. If he were of a lesser rank or younger, he'd smack him head at how they were acting. Both were sure that their skills would be enough to take out the other, but only one would come out the victor. Smiling despite himself, he raised his hand in the air. "Begin!"

Zaku grinned, rolling his shoulders with a sigh. "You know, I don't really feel like messing around. I think I'll just end as fast as I can."

Kankuro's smirk grew as he removed the 'bundle' from his back. "Then I guess, I'll end this quickly too. No need to worry about some no-name village shinobi like you over –"

Zaku whipped his hands up, pointing his vents at Kankuro. "To bad and too slow loser! Zankuuha! (Decapitating Air Wave)"

Kankuro's eyes widened as a wave of air slammed behind him and was flung away. His strings were tugged violently off of his fingers as his puppet slammed into the wall. He held still within the bundle, trying desperately to think of something to do through the slightly numbing pain.

Zaku blinked as Kankuro's body slammed into the wall. He hadn't held back on his attack, and had pounded out as much force from the get go. Somehow he'd never seen someone slam into a wall with quite that much force. "What the…did I miss something?"

Hayate raised an eyebrow at Kankuro's body, noting a small trail of sand falling from Kankuro's face. _'Ah, so that's what he did.'_

"Okay seriously, are you going to get up or not?" Zaku said, his eye twitching in frustration.

Kankuro groaned. "Damn it, I can't believe this." He muttered as he unwrapped himself from his bundle. He looked between his puppet and Zaku before sighing in resignation. "Proctor, I forfeit."

Hayate shrugged, pointing to Zaku. "Winner, Abumi Zaku."

Zaku stared at Kankuro with barely masked amusement. "I got lucky there. If you hadn't shown yourself and given up, I might've missed you."

Kankuro felt his shoulders slump in defeat. "If I'd tried to attack you, you might've destroyed Karasu (Crow) more than you already have." Grimacing at the state of said puppet, he continued. "Karasu is going to need a lot of work as it is."

Zaku shrugged. "Whatever. I'm just surprised I won with one technique. I thought you'd be better that since you're from a 'big village.'" He said with a snicker as he walked off.

Up in the stands, Baki watched Kankuro. Kankuro gave him a knowing look, as he picked up the 'pieces' of Karasu. _'I might've underestimated his forethought. If he threw this fight for the reason's I think he did, I'll definitely be recommending him for promotion to the Kazekage.'_

Kankuro hid his grin behind an aggravated look. _'That guy's attack was pretty powerful. If I'd actually been hit by that attack, I might've actually been hurt. Karasu can and will be put together pretty easy, but me…not so much. Plus, they won't be expecting Karasu to be operational for a while, which will make me far more useful during the _real_ third test.'_

Hayate motioned to the screen, the next names appearing on the screen.

**Aburame Shino verse Mubi**

Shino looked at his teammates, nodding at the both of them before making his way down to the arena. Mubi, and Ame shinobi with one eye showing, turned to his sensei. "I'll take care of this guy."

His sensei nodded, hidden behind his own mask and hat. His eyes drifted to the screen, a smirk hidden behind his mask. _'No, no you won't.'_

Team Oboro's sensei, Rokusho Aoi, was a former member of Konohagakure no Sato. He, unlike his oblivious team, understood what the name on the screen mean, and the abilities of said team. He pitied his student as he watched him march to his inevitable fate.

Despite his careful eye on his student, he knew better than to keep both eyes open at the moment. After all, he was a former member of Konoha, and was known in the village for conning a former pupil to steal a priceless artifact and scroll for him. His hand slowly fell over the Raijin as his eyes looked over the other jonin surround himself. The only people who shouldn't care too much about his presence were the jonin from Suna and Oto. Everyone else was a potential enemy, and he would treat them as such for the time being.

Unknown to him the Oto jonin, Orochimaru, was giving him an appraising look. He'd seen Aoi when he'd been younger, gifted and ambitious…so much like Mizuki. The only thing that he had once lacked was that spark that drove people to seek power from any source possible. After hearing of his exploits, he'd reconsidered somewhat. Or rather, he'd become more interested in what he'd stolen as he admired his boldness in entering the village he'd stolen from. With at least one of the two objects in his possession no less. Admittedly, it wasn't the item he'd had his eye on, but it was worth mentioning, and worth getting. Now all he needed to do was figure out how to get it.

"Are you both ready?" Hayate looked between the two, not seeing any hesitation in either. "Begin!"

Shino wasted no time in rushing forward, slamming his fist Mubi who raised his arm in defence. Mubi jerked back slightly, his single eye widening in shock at Shino's strength. Beneath the high collared jacket he had a more strength built physique than he'd expected.

"Huh, I'd better get some space." He muttered as he lashed out with a kick to Shino's gut. Shino stumbled back, holding his stomach before standing tall and putting a hand into his pocket. "What's the matter? Already going to give up?"

"No…I simply have the advantage." Shino replied, watching Mubi from behind his glasses.

Mubi chuckled. "Moron. Oboro Bunshin no Jutsu! (Hazy Clone Technique)"

Several more Mubi appeared beside him, each with a smirk in their eye as they stared Shino down. As one, they charged. Some broke off to 'get behind him', while others leapt over him, seemingly flying over him.

Shino didn't so much as blink as each attacked him. Turning to one of the Mubi's approaching from his left and slammed another fist into him. "You are the real opponent."

Mubi grabbed Shino's arm, trying to keep his hold on him. "Well aren't you the observant one. And how did you figure out it was me?"

Shino pulled his hand from his jacket, motioning to his fingers. Mubi didn't have a chance to say anything as Shino slammed his hand onto Mubi's face. Mubi screamed in alarm as his face was rapidly covered in bugs.

"Kikaichuu (Parasitic Destruction Insects), the source of my clan's techniques. They attack their prey in large numbers and eat their chakra. In this case, you are the prey, and you have lost."

Mubi thrashed about and let out one final scream of pain as the kikaichuu ate away at the last of his chakra. With a quick command, Shino returned the kikaichuu to return within his jacket. As he placed his hand back into his pocket, Hayate walked to Mubi's side to confirm he was still alive. "Winner, Shino!"

Up in the stands, Naruto felt a small shiver as he watched Shino walk away. "What? Was Shino really this strong this whole time? Damn it, it's like everyone who's left the Academy has gotten a lot stronger!"

He gripped the railing in front of him, trying to hide his excitement with 'creeped outness'. That weird bug technique was _awesome_, and Naruto felt a little bit of that urge to fight building in him. Three fights had already come and gone, and he still had to wait for his turn!

Sasuke on the other hand, shook his head at Naruto's actions. If he'd fought Shino, he had plenty of Katon jutsu to throw at him. That didn't mean that he'd win, but it would be interesting to see how Shino would fight against someone with techniques basically designed to take out his bugs.

"Hey, great job." Kiba said as Shino walked to where they were at in the 'stands'.

"Oh…Shi…Shino-kun…congratulations." Hinata said, smiling as brightly as she could despite her stuttering.

Shino turned to them. "Yeah, I'm counting on you guys too."

Kiba looked pissed off, but ignored it in favor of looking at the screen. A little ways away, Sakura did the same. For her, it was far more shocking to see the names on the board.

**Haruno Sakura verse Yamanaka Ino**

Both competitors walked down to the floor, staring each other down as Hayate told them to begin. Sakura removed her hair band-like hiate and instead tied it to her forehead. Ino, after a momentary pause, did the same.

The fight was rather quick, and back and forth. Unlike the other fights, there weren't any 'special techniques' to counterbalance one side over the other. Mainly just clones and punches. At least, it was until Ino decided to play a trump card. By cutting her hair, she was able to leave a path between herself and Sakura that she could use to hold Sakura still while she prepared her family's technique. After forming the seal, she shot herself into Sakura and took over.

Up in the stands, Naruto was at a loss. Both of the girls that had hurt him over the past month were fighting, and he figured that he should probably show support for his teammate. However, watching her hit by Ino reminded him of every time she'd hit him, and how strong she actually was. When Ino would retaliate, he'd remember Ino's grip on his arm and how vice-like it was as she'd drag him around to shop.

As he saw Ino-Sakura smirking and raise her hand into the air to forfeit, he came to a realization. One that he should have come to a long, _long_ time ago. Both girls were mean to him. Neither of them considered his presence, or his opinion on matters, or even took the time to do stuff for him. He'd tried to be nice to Sakura, gone out with and paid for food with Ino, and what did he get? A punch in the face and promise-bound torture.

So, despite the growing desire to shout out and tell Sakura that she'd made it all the way there and was better than this, he pushed himself back.

"I…Haruno Sakura…would like to forfeit." Ino-Sakura said slowly. She didn't bother hiding her smirk as Hayate nodded. In the stands, Sasuke had seen both of their performances, and would now know who the better woman was.

"Winner, Ino!" Hayate said.

Ino released the jutsu, returning to her body. Sakura blinked in confusion as what had just happened sunk in. "I…lost?"

"Right in one Forehead." Ino said, standing from her former slumped state. She smiled lightly, walking over to Sakura. "No hard feelings?"

Sakura flinched, turning away from Ino's friendly gesture. While it was unspoken, Sakura understood the gravity of what Ino had done in this fight…more specifically how it would affect her relationship with Sasuke. Now, any and all chances of approaching Sasuke as she was would be tarnished by the image of her being defeated by Ino. In a way, she had not just lost. Ino had completely destroyed her and her future.

They made their way back up to the 'stands', Sakura looking at her team with downcast eyes. Both Sasuke and Naruto had grown up a lot since they'd graduated from the Academy. Sure, she'd grown up a little more in the Forest of Death, but it wasn't enough. She was still so far behind, still looking at their backs and the backs of pretty much all of their graduating class, as they marched on ahead and got stronger. Her fist slowly clenched angrily. She would be come stronger, strong enough to stand beside them, no matter what it took.

**Temari verse Tenten**

Both girls walked down to the floor, both eager to complete this test and move on to the next round. Tenten eyed the distance between them and mentally checked the distance. This was not missed by Temari, who scoffed at her attempt to check for the distance between them. It was useless to use thrown weapons against her.

"Begin!"

Tenten did try valiantly to get a hit on Temari. Using all manner of thrown weapons with precision that was practically unheard of, she simply hadn't prepared herself to fight someone who specialized in deflecting weapons like Temari had. It was a lost cause from the get go.

In the stands, Sasuke watched the fight with a curious eye. He hadn't bothered turning on his Sharingan, as it would be insulting to other villages, and to his own village. People trained hard to get this far, and he honestly didn't want to be using their techniques unless he'd gotten them by fighting them in one-on-one combat. That was only fair.

Next to him, Kakashi was smiling proudly at his student. It would've been easy to just copy everyone's techniques and use them as his own, but Sasuke was showing plenty of self-control as he simply watched with his own two eyes. It would be good for him to not use his Sharingan like that; becoming dependant on copying others techniques could become a crutch for him later in life.

Everyone winced as Tenten fell from Temari's Kamaitachi (Cutting Whirlwind) and landed awkwardly on the back of the fan. Temari simply smirked as she threw her off. Next to Naruto, Lee blurred forward as he caught Tenten before she hit the ground. Temari continued to insult Tenten after she'd already been defeated and instigated Lee into attacking her. The only thing that kept him form continuing to attack her was his sensei's shout to stop. Both Naruto and Lee took notice of Gaara when he called indirectly called Lee pathetic. Instead, he made his way to the stands after Gai warned the Suna team that Lee was strong.

Next to Naruto, Sakura looked at Naruto out of the corner of her eye. Since she'd lost, she hadn't been able to stop glancing at him. When she'd been caught in the jutsu, as she'd defiantly fought for control, she'd silently hoped that either he or Sasuke would call out to her. She knew that Sasuke shouting for her to win was just her girlish dream waiting to happen, but Naruto was a shock to her. She'd honestly expected him to go off shouting that she was better than Ino. Instead, he'd remained silent and watched her fail in front of Sasuke.

'_I shouldn't be so surprised."_ She thought, remembering some time earlier. _'He's spent time with Ino…so she probably got him onto her side. That doesn't explain why he avoids her though; she's not as violent as me.'_ She narrowed her eyes as she caught sight of Ino just past Naruto. She could feel a small spark go off in her, but she pushed it down for the time being. She'd get her answers soon enough, she just needed to get out of the forest first.

**Tsuchi Kin verse Nara Shikamaru**

"Troublesome." Shikamaru muttered as he made his way down the stairs. He could hear Ino shouting after him that he'd better win, and rolled his eyes. Of course he planned on winning; if he didn't his mother would yell at him.

"Begin!"

Like many of the fights before theirs, the fight was rather one sided. Kin appeared to take the lead as she injured Shikamaru with a few needles and placed him under a genjutsu, but Shikamaru proved his worth when he quite quickly caught her in his Kage Mane no Jutsu (Shadow Imitation Technique). It was then a small matter of distracting her with shuriken and bending over backwards to knock her head against the wall. In a surprising show of flexibility, Shikamaru turned his backward lean into a back flip as he explained what he'd done and was declared the winner.

Naruto grumbled under his breath as he watched Kin get taken away. "Man that was so basic…but it was pretty cool."

Kiba counted down everyone who had currently been eliminated, and the people he _didn't_ want to fight. _'Aw man, there aren't all that many people left. That Oto shinobi, me, Hinata, Choji, Naruto…Neji and Lee…and that Suna genin.'_ He winced as he remembered what he'd seen Gaara do in the forest. _'Anyone but the Suna guy.'_

All eyes went to the screen, and two peoples faces split into grins as their names finally were shown on the screen.

**Uzumaki Naruto verse Inuzuka Kiba**

The seventh match of the preliminaries, was about to begin.

* * *

AN: And cut! Because this next fight will be longer than the ones shown above due to introspective Naruto trying to figure out what the heck is going on!

Sasuke's fight was necessary, mainly because Sasuke need to fight someone who was physically faster then he was, even if only a little bit. The Ame genin were just asking to be used in the fight. Plus, instead of being berated about his abilities by someone close to his age who had basically trained to fight similar techniques, he got a 'word of advice' from his benevolent sensei. Far more humbling, without the blow to his ego.

As you probably noticed, certain fights were drastically changed. My favorite was Ino vs. Sakura, due to Naruto _finally_ getting it as he watched. He can't act on it yet, but he now _knows_, and that's what man is he thick skulled! It took me till this chapter to get it through his head that they were no good for him. This is one of the reasons why I started this after the Wave Arc; to get Naruto to a real _major_ turning point where he could begin making a real change in his life. Plus, this is moving Sakura where I want her. *Evil laugh* Yeah, Sakura haters will learn that simply hating a character isn't enough when they could do so much more!

The fights went by pretty fast, but then they were fast in both the manga and anime too. Plus, unless I really changed the whole bracket, I wasn't going to write out the entirety of the fights in all their detailed glory. That'll be for other fights…I hope. Also, they followed a pattern! Did anyone notice?

Next time on Word of Honor: _Battle and Blood._ Naruto's fight against Kiba brings up questions and realizations, while the conclusion of the eighth fight unveils a new reaction to Naruto's promises.


	12. Battle and Blood

This fight came to my head too fast, and got down even faster. Another 'two chapters in a row' event, enjoy!

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Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I'll think of something witty to say later.

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Word of Honor

_Chapter 12: Battle and Blood_

Kiba laughed out loud as he vaulted over the railing. "Lucky! This'll be a cinch to win!"

Naruto had a completely different point of view. "Alright, it's my turn! Finally, it's about time!"  
Turning to take the stairs, he stopped as his path was blocked by Sasuke. "Naruto…you remember what I said, right?"

Naruto nodded, grinning past his sudden nervousness. "Yep! I'll totally win this match!"

Sasuke smirked, giving Naruto a nod. "You'd better. Just remember, Kiba's no pushover. Go all out from the beginning, or you'll lose."

Naruto scoffed at him, walking past him as he went down the stairs. "I'm no pushover either!"  
As they faced off on the floor, Hayate smirked unnoticeably. "The seventh match…Uzumaki Naruto verse Inuzuka Kiba."

Kiba's grin became more feral as he spoke. "It's like we've already won! Man, we got so lucky! Eh, Akamaru?"

Naruto twitched, jabbing a finger at Kiba. "Hey! You haven't seen me fight yet! Don't think I'm gonna go easy on you!" He then noticed Akamaru, who had been riding in Kiba's jacket and had popped his head out when Kiba had spoken. "Hey, don't bring a puppy here! It'll get in the way!"

Kiba scoffed at him, setting Akamaru down. "You idiot. Akamaru's fighting with me!"

Naruto looked between Kiba and Akamaru with a curious look. "You mean like Shino and his bugs?"

Up in the stands, Kakashi raised an eyebrow. _'He actually made the connection? Huh, I guess he is getting better…smarter…whatever you want to call it.'_

'_It sounds kinda like that Kusa guy and his snakes!'_ Naruto thought, remembering the snake that had eaten him in the forest before he'd forced it to throw him up by creating too many shadow clones for it to handle. Nodding as he figured that it was all good, he crossed his arms confidently. "Good then! You'll need all the help you can get."

"Talking tough huh?" Kiba asked. He glanced down at Akamaru, giving his partner a nod. "Stay out of it for now Akamaru. I'm able to take him down no sweat by myself."

Kiba reminisced on just how _bad_ Naruto had been at the Academy. He remembered watching him make a fool of himself in front of the entire class as he'd poorly transformed into the Hokage; too short, with lips that were _way_ out of proportion.

"You know what, I feel bad for you," Kiba said, raising his fist. "So I'm going to end this with one punch."

"That so?" Naruto raised his own fist. "Then me too…"

"Stop acting tough baka."

Hayate looked between the two, noting the tension and prepared to move himself out of the way. At least this match should be more interesting. "Begin."

Not wasting a second, Kiba quickly formed a hand seal to perform the basic Inuzuka hijutsu. "Shikyaku no Jutsu (Four-Legged Technique)!" Kiba shouted, channeling his chakra through his legs and arms as he dropped to all fours. His nails became sharper and his legs spread into a wider stance. "Here I come!"

Naruto looked at the strange stance, not quite sure what Kiba was thinking. _'What's he gonna do like that? He looks like he's – '_

Before he could complete his thought, Kiba had bolted forwards, covering the short distance between them and slamming his elbow into his gut. Naruto rolled backwards, almost slamming into the wall behind him. Kiba looked to Hayate. "He wouldn't be opening his eyes for a while, referee."

There were various thoughts about the young blonde; mainly focusing on how 'weak' he was to be knocked out by one hit. Only four people thought differently; Hinata, and the other three members of Team 7.

Hinata didn't think Naruto was weak. However, she was worried that he was hurt. She wanted to cheer for him, but he was fighting her teammate, so she felt conflicted. Her confliction got the better of her, which frustrated her as she clutched the railing. Unable to say anything without drawing her sensei's attention and Kiba's ire, she silently prayed for Naruto, begging for him to stand up.

Sasuke smirked, staring down at Naruto as Sakura and Kakashi gave each other a look. After Zabuza and Haku, Kiba was a pushover. His speed was admittedly impressive for his age, but after fighting someone who could move from one place to another so fast only the Sharingan could almost catch it compared to his normal vision, it was slow. Plus, with Sakura's constant poundings, they knew that this was practically a love tap in comparison.

Naruto pushed himself up as a small trail of blood came from his mouth, regaining Kiba's –and everyone else's- attention. "Don't underestimate me."

Kiba scowled at him. "You're gonna say that while you bleed? I told you to stop acting like your tough."

Naruto smirked. "I blinked."

"What?"  
"I blinked," Naruto said, shifting his feet into a more strengthened stance. "And when I opened my eyes you were still there. You're slow Kiba. Plus, I wanted to know how strong you hit. You're gonna want your dog to help you out here, cause you hit like a girl."

"You'll regret that." Kiba said, motioning to Akamaru. "Let's go Akamaru!"

As they ran forward, Naruto noticed something in Kiba's hand. _'A smoke bomb?'_ He thought a second before Kiba threw it forwards, obstructing Naruto's view as he began his assault. Naruto flinched as the blows hit him. _'Crap, I gotta get out of here or I'm done!'_

Escaping from the smoke, he was caught off guard as Akamaru ambushed him and knocked him back into the smoke. Kiba smirked as he heard the little dog knocking Naruto around. As the smoke cleared, he saw Naruto holding Akamaru by the scruff of his neck. "What the - ?"

Akamaru whimpered as Naruto growled at the little dog. "Keep your teeth away from there! That was so not cool! I mean seriously, hasn't Kiba trained you better?"

"What the…Akamaru?" Kiba growled as he took a step forward. "I'll get you for –"  
"No, I got you!"

Kiba's eyes widened as a fist suddenly caught him upside his head, knocking him away from where he'd been standing. Quickly rolling back to all fours, he shook his head at the two Naruto's that were standing in front of him. One still had Akamaru by the scruff of his neck, while the other had his fist out. "What…a clone?"

"Not just a clone…Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)." Naruto replied.

"Feh, like that'll help you. Akamaru!" Kiba shouted, throwing a small pill to the little dog. Despite his position, the little dog snapped the pill from the air and quickly swallowed it. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise as he suddenly realized that Akamaru was changing from the pill. The normally docile white dog was becoming more aggressive and its fur had turned red. Shaking itself, it managed to dislodge itself from the Naruto-clone's hands and fall to the floor. Kiba himself popped a pill into his mouth. "That's why he's Akamaru. (Aka, meaning 'red')"

Naruto looked between the now red dog and Kiba with a perplexed look. "What the heck did you feed him?"

"Soldier pill." Kiba responded, crouching over as Akamaru leapt onto his back. "Now we can do this! Juujin Bunshin no Jutsu (Beast-Man Clone)!"

Smoke covered Akamaru as he took on Kiba's appearance. Naruto looked somewhat startled, but was nothing the less confident. "Hey, did you just dope the dog? I thought that was unhealthy?"

"Boss, I think we might be in trouble." Naruto's clone said, alerting Naruto to the charging duo.

"Take this Naruto!" Kiba shouted as he and Akamaru slammed into the arena with a surprising amount of force behind their attack.

Naruto flipped backwards, wincing as he was clipped by the blitz attack. Naruto's eyes widened as he realized that Kiba wasn't kidding when he said he was faster. Or rather, he was too slow. Channeling chakra to his feet, he attempted to get far enough behind them to get a breath. He remembered the 'benefits' of his bloodline, but suddenly realized something that he really should have realized before; he didn't know the 'keyword' and couldn't really start randomly saying random words in the middle of battle. People already thought he was stupid; he didn't want to make them think he was insane too.

Yelping in surprise as the dog duo charged at him again, he leapt into the air in an attempt to jump over them and get a quick breath. Unfortunately, he had nowhere to go as he hung practically suspended for a moment in the air. "Chance! Inuzuka taijutsu, Gatsuuga (Fang Over Fang)!"

Naruto winced as Kiba and Akamaru's charge added a spin, turning them into a whirlwind of claws. With no way to move, he braced himself as he prepared for the inevitable attack to hit him.

"Boss!"

Naruto looked down, his eyes widening as the clone he'd made from earlier leapt beneath him. Realizing that this was his chance, he placed his feet on his clone's chest and used him as a springboard to launch himself over the oncoming attack. In the process, his clone was destroyed as he was unable to catch himself before he dispelled himself on the ground.

As they passed beneath him, Kiba managed to curse under his breath once they landed and saw that they'd missed. "Again! Gatsuuga (Fang Over Fang)!"

Naruto had nowhere to go this time as he'd just landed and took the brunt of their attack head on. Crying out in pain, and feeling Kiba and Akamaru's claws digging into his jacket, he was pushed back, landing on his face before coming to a stop. Coughing in pain, he checked himself for injuries as he coughed up a small bit of blood.

Kiba smirked at Naruto's state. "Ha! This is the difference between our abilities!"

Naruto slowly pushed himself up. "Can't…lose here. I'm…gonna…Hokage."

"You, Hokage? While your still so much weaker than me? You can't become Hokage!" Kiba jeered, thumbing his nose at Naruto. "A Hokage is strong, which you aren't! Since you obviously won't become Hokage any time soon, you might as well let me be Hokage instead!"

Naruto twitched, his movements still slow as he pushed himself to his feet. Blood ran down his face from the different impacts to his head. He felt fine though, as the blood in his head seemed to mellow out despite his thrumming heart. "You know…I promised my team that I wouldn't run away…that I would fight my battles head on. If you're going to say stuff like that, you better be ready to rumble, 'cause I'm going to take you down! I don't go back on my word…that is my nindo (ninja way)!"

Kiba laughed mockingly, "You really don't get it yet? Alright then, let's take him down Akamaru!"

Naruto watched the two of them as they ran forward, standing confidently against them. As they got closer, his eyes widened slightly and he rushed forwards. He had an idea, and if it worked it would look totally awesome.

Instead of running into them, he used his chakra to push past them. Although the yin chakra he was using to push himself faster was noticeably slower than it would normally be, he found that he was actually fast enough to take advantage of the momentary gap in their attack. Continuing his rush forwards, he focused on the giant hands statue that stood on the other side of the room in the 'ram' sign. Leaping to the top of the fingers, he looked down on Kiba from his aerial view. _'Yup, I totally look awesome right now. Take that teme!'_

Kiba skid to a stop, noticing Naruto's rush in confusion. "What are you doing Naruto? I thought you said you face your fights head on! Get down here and fight like a man!"

Naruto stuck out his tongue mockingly. "I'm taking a quick breather. You stink, and it's making it hard to think."

Kiba paused, unable to understand what Naruto had said. "Wait, think? You, the 'dead last'…are _thinking_?"

Naruto ignored the jab and focused on the task at hand, unconsciously allowing more chakra to flow into his head. Despite having the higher ground, Kiba probably knew how to walk on walls like he did, which made it pretty much pointless. Not only that, but there was something funky going on with his chakra. Clenching and unclenching his fist, he figured that he felt a lot stronger than normal, but his yin chakra was now slower by comparison. As he thought further back, he realized that his chakra had felt weird since he'd woken up after the encounter with the snake guy. _'Aw man! He did something to screw with my chakra when he hit my gut! Maybe that's what Sakura meant when she mentioned him doing something to Sasuke.'_

**::Focus on the match::**

Naruto jumped slightly, his eyes wide as he recognized the voice. _'Han'ishiki?'_

**::Yes Naruto ::**

'_What are you doing in my head right now?'_

**::Hm, it seems you're progressing faster than normally expected. I guess Kushina will have to explain more soon ::**

'_Don't change the subject! What –"_

**::Incoming dog-breath ::**

Naruto jerked his head up as he saw that Kiba had gotten bored of just watching him and had taken to a wall with Akamaru on the opposite wall charging towards him. _'Holy crap! What do I do?'_

Instead of answering, Han'ishiki sent a mental picture of Naruto punching Kiba as he spun towards him. Naruto resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he crouched down. Now was not the time for jokes like that. Kiba was spinning really fast, and it looked like he had actually become a drill of pure physical energy.

'_He's only using the one technique, so I know what he's going to do. But since I can't dodge it forever, I have to attack! …how the heck am I supposed to do that?'_ he thought as he watched them close in on him. Han'ishiki sent the image again, slowing Kiba down enough for Naruto to notice something. Looking closer at Kiba's attack, he blinked. "Wait, they're just spinning with claws. So how would I get hit if I just went straight in?"

"Gatsuuga!"

Naruto pushed all of his chakra to his feet, leaping over the two typhoon-like attackers. As he looked back, he realized he'd actually gone a lot further than he'd expected and was now almost back in the center of the arena. "Wow, that was so awesome!"

Kiba growled at the way Naruto seemed to not be taking him seriously. Somehow, he'd managed to avoid being injured enough to pass out, and now he was mocking him again. Feeling anger overcoming him, he turned to Akamaru. "We're finishing him, now!"

Akamaru nodded, noting Kiba's bad mood and feeling it mirrored in himself. Naruto had not looked like he was nearly this confident when he'd started out, and actually looked like he'd gotten stronger as the fight had progressed. It was somewhat frightening to watch from within the fight.

Naruto watched them charge towards him again, his face scrunched up in focused thought. As they were nearly on him, it changed to a look of victory. "Got it!"

Returning their rush forward, he focused on the one he thought was Kiba. Kiba and Akamaru twisted themselves as they threw themselves at Naruto in their whirling fashion. "Gatsuuga!"

Naruto's grin widened as he drew back his fist and he shot his fist forward in a twisting fashion to propel it faster as well. "Uzumaki Chacha Panchi (Whirlpool Disruption Punch)!"

Spontaneous and over the top as the technique's name may have been, Naruto's fist shot straight and true. Despite the odds, his fist managed to plow past the claws and slam into his face. The rest of Kiba's body continued on its previous path with his face seeming to remain as it was until 'Kiba' dispelled to reveal that he'd hit Akamaru.

"Akamaru!" Kiba yelled. Further enraged, he rushed towards Naruto again. "You'll pay for that!"

Naruto stumbled back, caught off guard by the sudden attack. His mind raced as Kiba closed the distance, trying to figure out something to do. One particular memory passed through his head and he pounced on the idea.

Just as Kiba attempted to plow into him, Naruto leaned back. Catching himself on his hands as he formed an arch like Shikamaru had, he watched Kiba continue to travel over him. "Huh, I should've done that near the wall." He muttered as he pushed himself back to his feet. Despite the fact that he'd never done that before, he found that he didn't feel any pain from bending over backwards like that.

Behind him, Kiba panted, his mind still unfocused by rage. "You hit Akamaru, and you keep making me look like an idiot! Just stay down!"

Naruto turned to him, a cheeky grin on his face. "Nope." He put his hands together into a familiar cross-shaped hand seal. "Get ready! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)!"

Four copies of Naruto appeared beside him, each looking as confident as the next. Kiba's eyes darted between the five of them, suddenly outnumbered. While he'd already figured out that the clones could only take one hit, finding the original Naruto was going to be a pain unless he thought of something.

Each Naruto rolled their shoulders as they too watched Kiba. Finally, Naruto got tired of waiting. "Well, are you coming?"

Another quickly piped in. "'Cause if you're not –"

"We'll come at you!" A third finished.

They charged together, blitzing Kiba in an attempt to take him out before he could retaliate. Unfortunately, they'd given Kiba enough time to calm down enough that he could come up with a plan. "You think that this will stop me, think again!" he pulled out a smoke bomb and threw it into the midst of the charging Naruto's. "Tsuuga (Piercing Fang)!"

"I'm not falling for that!" One of the Naruto's declared, as three dove out of the smoke. The other two clones weren't nearly as lucky as they were hit and dispelled by Kiba's attack.

Growling in frustration, Kiba skid to a stop outside the smoke as it began to spread away. "Will you hold still and go down already?"

"No way loser!" Naruto shouted. He turned to the nearest clone, motioning behind him. "Stay on me, we're going in!"

The clone nodded, his own grin splitting across his face. Naruto charged forwards with the clones following, the third clone splitting off from them and circling around him. Kiba noticed the third clone first and grimaced. "Oh no you don't!"

Kiba dropped back to all fours, pushing himself as fast as he could to intercept the third Naruto. He slammed into that Naruto with his shoulder, feeling himself land a solid blow only for said shoulder to pass through said Naruto. His eyes widened as he realized that he'd hit one of Naruto's clones. Gripping the floor with his chakra, he twisted around to attack again.

The other two Naruto's didn't hesitate as they changed direction towards Kiba. As Kiba twisted around, the first Naruto rushed into him with his fist catching him in the chin. Kiba was knocked slightly into the air, completely off balanced as the second Naruto propelled himself into a front flip above Kiba. Said Naruto grinned widely. "I win Kiba!"

Naruto's feet came together before slamming into his face in a spear-like motion, making any response from Kiba incomprehensible. Kiba's head launched back and met the ground abruptly. A small glob of blood came from his mouth as his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

Hayate slowly walked over to Kiba, checking to make sure he was still alive. Finding him to just be unconscious, he nodded to Naruto. "Winner, Naruto!"

Unlike all of the other matches, there was a lot of cheering on Naruto's behalf. Naruto looked at all of the Konoha shinobi, his peers, cheering for him and couldn't help but whoop enthusiastically. He'd fought Kiba, in a fight that was practically stacked against him, and won.

**::Kushina says congrats ::**

'_Tell her I said thanks!'_ Naruto thought, walking back up the stairs. Halfway up, he paused in thought. _'Hey, how can I hear you right now?'_

**::We'll tell you later. I can't talk for long, so…later ::**

Whatever connection he'd made with Han'ishiki seemed to fade after he said that, and left Naruto suddenly feeling pain all over his body. He panted heavily, looking at his hands. His eyes widened as he noticed several cuts on his knuckles and the back of his hand as well as along the sleeve of the hand that had taken Akamaru out. Almost as if responding to his acknowledgement, pain spiked up his arm from the multiple wounds he'd gotten all over his body.

Glaring down at his arm, he thought back to the fight. He'd thought that he'd hit Akamaru and come out without a scratch. It really should've been more obvious that he wouldn't do what he did without getting his arm scratched up even a little bit, but what he was seeing was like he'd tried holding Tora with one hand and it had latched onto his arm. He _should_ have been in pain, and it _should_ have thrown off his punch. Instead, he'd felt…numb.

He silently scowled at his lack of focus, realizing that he wasn't going to find out what was going on until later. Kushina and Han'ishiki had a lot of explaining to do.

As he passed by Hinata on his way to his team, she worked up the courage to speak. "N-Naruto-kun."

Naruto paused, looking at Hinata as she tried to say more. Actually standing in front of him, and attempting to speak was now out of the question as she fiddled with the medical cream in her hands. With a hesitant motion, she finally managed to hold out the medical cream to Naruto, hoping that he would understand. She _really_ didn't want to talk too much right now; the image of Naruto in spandex running through her mind and causing her to blush a vivid red.

Naruto stared at the little jar in her hands, confused. "What's that?"

Behind him Hinata's sensei, Yuuhi Kurenai, answered. "Medical cream."

Naruto looked back at Kurenai before turning back to Hinata. "Uh…is that supposed to be for me?"

Kurenai rolled her eyes at his obliviousness while Hinata blushed. "Just take it Naruto."

Naruto nodded, taking the cream from Hinata and looking it over. His mind slowly rolled over what Hinata was doing, and felt himself brighten. "Sure… thanks, you're really nice Hinata!"

Naruto continued on his way to his team, rolling the jar in his hands. It was really nice, nicer than the other two girls he knew. He glanced back at Hinata who had made her way down to her teammate. _'Huh…she's really, really nice.'_

He smiled as rubbed a bit of the cream on some of his wounds. To his surprise it took on a misty form as it began to seal up his wound. "Wow, this stuff is really good!" Turning to his teammates, he motioned to the cream. "You guys want to use some?"

Sasuke shrugged, dipping his finger into the cream and rubbed it onto one of his injuries. It didn't become misty, but it did look like it sealed up pretty well. "Huh, this stuff works pretty good."

Naruto blinked at the lack of mist, his mind slowly taking in the information. _'Oh yeah, I'm supposed to heal faster than normal people.'_ He looked at the cream again and grinned widely. _'Man, this stuff makes me heal even faster! Sweet~!'_

He turned his attention to the screen. On it, the next match was displayed.

**Hyuuga Hinata verse Hyuuga Neji**

Neji smirked as he walked down the stairs, feeling assured of his victory. Naruto watched Hinata, noticing that she looked mildly on the verge of a panic attack when she saw the names on the screen. They had the same last name, so it didn't make sense to him for her to react like to his name like that. _'Maybe she knows he's strong?'_

They made their way to the arena, everyone watching them with great interest. As they looked at each other, Neji finally broke the silence. "I never thought that I'd be fighting you, Hinata-sama.

Hinata shrunk in on herself. "N-Neji-nii-san."

Naruto leaned forwards, not sure if he'd heard her right. "Wait, they're siblings?"

Kakashi quickly deterred the thought as he explained that they were from the same clan. Lee then took the explanation to the next level as he explained the dynamic of the 'Main House' and the 'Branch House'. He mentioned their bloodline and techniques in passing, though Naruto only caught bits and pieces.

Naruto felt his entire body tense up when he heard that they were basically a broken up family who hated each other. Naruto, who really hadn't had a traditional family, had built up a strong image of what a family should be. To him this…this went against everything that he believed that a family should be.

When the fight 'began', Neji should have stayed quiet. Naruto understood what Neji was doing as he began to verbally attack Hinata, stating that her past proved that she was 'a loser' and a failure to the clan. With every degrading word after Neji declaring that people couldn't change themselves, Naruto ground his teeth together. It only got worse when he activated his Byakugan and began to increase his attack on Hinata, noting her reactions and what they meant about what she was thinking, to the point that Hinata was nearly in tears. When Naruto noticed this, he snapped. He shouted at Hinata, _knowing_ that she could change if she wanted to and wanting her to know that she could show Neji that he was wrong.

To his surprise, she actually seemed to listen to what he said. From where he was standing, he swore he saw her eyes change to a far more determined look as she stared down her cousin. Naruto leaned back from the railing as they began their taijutsu battle, noting that it looked more like a dance than two people trying to beat each other up. Lee, Kakashi, and Gai explained their taijutsu style, how it inwardly attacked the person by closing of something call tenketsu (Chakra points), and how the style and bloodline were the reason the Hyuuga clan was as powerful it was. Lee mentioned that he believed that Neji was the 'strongest Konoha genin' there, and that his own style was pretty much the complete opposite, causing them to clash violently.

The trading of blows continued, and for a little bit, Naruto thought that Hinata was winning. In fact, everyone figured that Hinata was winning. That changed when Neji struck Hinata in the chest and she began to cough up blood. Everyone's eyes widened as they tried to figure out what had happened, having not seen how Neji had managed to get through the fight unharmed. Neji himself explained that he'd been shutting her down from the very beginning as he shoved Hinata away. Naruto twitched in rage; he'd been playing with her from the start, and was continuing to rub salt into her wounds.

When Hinata picked herself back up, and declared that her nindo was to never go back on her word, Naruto felt himself tense up. _'That's what I said to Kiba! But…why would she say that? Is she…mimicking me? Why, why would she do that?'_

Sakura noted his confusion and did her best to explain. But what she said didn't make sense to him. She'd been watching him? But they'd really only met when they'd entered the Chunin Exams. Did that mean that she simply heard what he'd said to Kiba and think it was appropriate for her fight. He felt so confused.

The fight continued on, with Hinata trying desperately to prove herself to everyone, despite the fact she'd obviously lost. Inevitably, it came down to her being laid out on the floor with barely any strength left. Only Naruto noticing her struggling to get back up kept Hayate from declaring the match over, and Naruto felt a small amount of relief and fear from that. He could see that Hinata had something she wanted to say, but even he knew when someone was on their last leg. Yet she fought through it, and spoke what she needed too.

In return for her words, Neji attempted to kill her. Naruto didn't have to see his eyes to know it was true, he could feel the killing intent from where he stood and _knew_ what he was planning. Luckily for Hinata, Kakashi and the other sensei's intercepted Neji before he could land the blow. Unfortunately, the damage that Neji had previously done had finally taken its toll on Hinata's body and she collapsed.

When she fell, Naruto leapt to her. He'd kept his eyes open through the fight, and had seen just how strong Hinata was. Even though it was pointless in the end, he felt that his words had done some good. He _hoped _that they'd done some good. Otherwise, he'd just encouraged a girl he barely knew to rush to her death.

Naruto winced as he was pushed aside by her sensei who quickly began to attempt to revive her. Despite all that had happened, Neji still had to throw in another barb. "Heh, in the end a loser is still as loser…they cannot change."

Naruto's gaze hardened, "You wanna start something?"

The only thing that held him back was a firm hand on his shoulder, courtesy of Lee. "Naruto-kun, I understand your feelings so much that it hurts. But…the fighting should remain in the matches." Lee turned to Neji, resolve burning in his gaze. "Whether a loser can defeat a genius through the power of hard work, is something to look forward to in the main test. Although…his opponent may be me." Lee patted Naruto's shoulder, giving him a smile and thumbs up. "There would be no hard feelings if it were you instead. You are truly as hard working as I am."

Naruto nodded, his eyes never leaving Neji's. Lee and him had talked while they'd 'trained' and he'd gotten quite a bit of Lee's and Gai's personal history from their tales. Naruto had developed a profound respect for the spandex-clad shinobi's, though he still hoped that he would get lucky and get Neji as his opponent.

Behind him, Hinata coughed up more blood as Kurenai shouted for the medics. Naruto only looked away from Hinata after the medics had finally done their job and carried Hinata out to get her to somewhere where they could do more to save her life. As he watched, he noticed the anger in Kurenai's eyes as she gave a look at Neji before the medics walked over, and turned to the others around him. Most of the Konoha genin looked uncomfortable, while a few others seemed to be in shock. Naruto bit into his hand until he bleed, forcing himself to calm down. His head cleared, he thought of something. He knew that he was an idiot for what he was about to do, but it _had_ to be done. Because this was no longer about just him.

Leaning over a small pool of Hinata's blood, he ran his fingers through it before forming a fist. The world felt like it slowed down for that moment, as though Fate knew the change that would come. Fire burned in his eyes, and the words came clearer than they'd ever come before.

"I vow to win."

When Naruto spoke those words, he expected the shiver down his spine, and the gut or head rush that came with it. He was not expecting it to be the way it was.

It started as a tremor that felt stronger than normal, and then gradually grew until it felt like his whole spine was shaking. It quickly spread throughout his body, from his head to his toes. He felt hot, and was almost certain that his blood was practically boiling beneath his skin; screaming out for Neji's head, and for his own victory over him. And he _would_ win.

Naruto turned from Neji and walked away. He'd made his promise; now all he needed to know to keep it.

* * *

AN: I didn't rush the Hinata vs. Neji fight…it was like the previous fights; unchanged. The only real change was Naruto's reaction and the reaction to the promise.

The fight, somewhat important as Naruto realizes the first flaw; it's useless in battle if you don't have the 'keyword'. Plus, it gave him a few more things to think about and ask Kushina and Han'ishiki. Plus, Kiba only uses three techniques...more than Naruto, but I digress. Naruto using the Henge no Jutsu (Tranformation Technique) in the manga/anime -in my opinion- was just Kishi's way of saying 'this _can_ be used in battle!', and I was having none of it. It was fun to write too.

Next time on Word of Honor; _Wisdom for Fools._ Four fools see and are told things that will help them grow, though only one will actually understand what to do with the knowledge.


	13. Wisdom for Fools

Disclaimer: I own only my own actions. Messing with Kishi's characters in just to pass the time, and improve my writing abilities.

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Word of Honor

_Chapter 13: Wisdom for Fools_

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked down at the fighters in the arena, his eyes glazed over as he went over everything that had happened. Things were not going the way he'd planned, not at all. He'd helped form the bracket that they had used for the fights, and yet despite all his forethought, he was clearly seeing that some of victors were not what he'd imagined them to be.

In order to form the brackets competently, he'd advised the chunin who formed the matches to make sure that genin chosen to fight foreign shinobi were based on the people they figured would best be able to move to the _real_ third test. Admittedly, he should have had them place Sasuke against someone from their own village that needed to advance, but everyone from his village who'd made it were from the rookies and a single year above. Since there wouldn't be any harm in allowing him a true fight, he'd allowed it. In his mind, he figured that with Kakashi's few training sessions he'd be able to keep up with the foreign shinobi though inevitably lose. He was not expecting him to actually _win._

It seemed to have gone downhill from there, at least with his perception for Team 7. He knew better than most how their fighting styles worked, and that because of their teamwork suffering, they focused on their individual skills.

When, Sakura and Ino had fought, it had been all but a disaster until Ino pulled through. Yamanaka techniques were not meant for battle, and if she'd actually performed the technique without having first bound Sakura in place, she would have lost. Clever thinking, and an interesting use of her cut hair was the only reason that she'd moved to the next round. If Sakura had somehow broken the technique…he honestly could have seen the fight go either way.

In the end though, it was Naruto whose growth bothered him the most. From the very beginning, he did not believe that Naruto had what it took to become a chunin. Naruto had not challenged his mind to better himself, his physical skills were mediocre at best, and Naruto continued to prove that he was not yet chunin material. He was young, and didn't understand the consequences of his actions.

Then the results for the first test came through. He'd had to check the paper he'd received from one of the chunin proctors multiple times before he'd believed it. According to the test that had been placed right in front of him, Naruto had passed said test with a perfect score. The child who couldn't pass the written tests in the Academy to save his life, had somehow managed to pull off a perfect score? That didn't fit.

The second test fit better with what he knew. Or rather, what they'd seen of the second test fit with what they knew. There were security cameras scattered throughout the forest, but when Team 7 had gotten their 'earth scroll', they'd been in an area without any cameras to see what had happened. Which meant that he had no idea what happened to the Oto team when they'd followed them into their hiding place.

And then there was his fight with Kiba. From what he knew, Kiba was fit to become a chunin; he had the strength, a solid head on his shoulders, and a leader-like attitude that could lead a team through their missions. By all rights, Kiba should have thrashed Naruto. It would have done him some good to be knocked down; keep him from becoming arrogant and proud.

Instead, Naruto had continually picked himself back up and pushed himself further until he won. Standing tall, he'd shown everyone that he was strong, had a solid head, and was able to defeat a superior opponent. He'd shown traits that he actively looked for in chunin throughout the fight, and he felt stupid for having missed those traits earlier.

Looking down at the next two combatants, he tried to push those thoughts from his mind for the time being. Naruto had the makings of a great chunin, but he was to brazen with his words. While he'd done well, he was nowhere close to Neji's level. In a one-on-one confrontation, he would be killed. Plus, there was the promise he'd made to Neji to consider.

Hiruzen gripped his pipe lightly, remembering the Uzumaki that he had fought with during the first and second Great Shinobi War. During both, he had proved himself powerful, but much like Naruto he was bold and uninhibited with his promises in his youth. This only became more predominate when he grew up, and the power that came from them began to change him. More importantly, he began to change when he began breaking promises.

He tilted his head down, remembering how he promised people that he would keep them safe, and watching his face when they had found them dead. War was truly hell, but for him, it became his own personal damnation. He became distant, until he eventually faded from the mind of all his former friends. Except for him.

It was why he'd done so much for Naruto. Everything he'd done had a purpose, and he could not look back at those decisions with regret. He could only push forward.

He looked at Naruto, who stood by Gai as they watched Lee fight against Gaara. Hiruzen turned to the fight as well, letting his worries go as he focused on the match. Admittedly, he was curious. When Gai had taken a team, he'd eventually come to the council and asked them for permission to circumvent the law that bound jonin sensei's from teaching their students any techniques until they'd reached the end of their probation. Due to who was on his team –a Hyuuga, the daughter of a weapon smith, and a boy who couldn't use chakra– they decided that it would be alright to grant him his request.

Watching Lee run circles around Gaara, he had to question the council's sanity. After all, this was Maito Gai. He didn't do anything halfway. If he said he was going to teach his students, he would stick to his strengths and push them with his ethics for hard work and utilizing every moment they had. Which was why, unlike the others in the stands, he expected the Omote Renge (Front Lotus) that Lee used to attempt to use to bypass Gaara's sand.

The Ura Renge (Reverse Lotsu), on the other hand, was something even he didn't see coming. Gai only had begun training Lee for the last year and a half. To have gotten so far in his training that the boy could open five gates was incredible. Even so, it was not quite enough to defeat Gaara.

He silently commended Lee on his efforts, and wished him a swift recovery as he was carried off. He knew that it would be next to impossible for Lee to actually remain a shinobi with the injuries that he'd sustained, but he had to hope. Gai was attached to Lee, and if the boy couldn't continue on his path to become a shinobi despite his previous infirmities, he had a feeling that Gai would follow. He couldn't lose someone like him because of that.

The final match of Choji verse the final Oto genin Dosu was quick. Despite having discovered Dosu's technique while in the forest, and preparing earplugs to protect himself from the sound wave attack, he didn't understand the basic science that Dosu knew. Using Choji's body to conduct the sound through the water in his body was devastating in practice, and put Choji out in one move after Choji had been incapacitated by accidentally running into a wall.

Looking at the final ten, he felt the weight of being the Hokage once again fall upon his shoulders. With more than half of the current competitors from Konoha, it was inevitable that there would be at least one match that would be Konoha shinobi verse Konoha shinobi. And, since these matches were ones meant to provide entertainment for the visiting leaders while exhibiting their strength, he had to make the choice that would help Konoha the most.

He didn't move as he thought over the potential fighters. Sasuke, Shino, Ino, Shikamaru, Naruto, and Neji. They all had their strengths, but the two who would likely put up the greatest fight would be Naruto and Neji. Both had something to prove to the people in Konoha, and were both attempting to fight their fate. Pitting them against one another might have seemed harmful, but it was necessary.

In the end, it was Naruto's promise that sealed the match. _'Naruto needs to learn that he won't be able to keep all his promises before he activates his bloodline.'_ He thought, as he let Hayate explain that the box would allow their matches in the finals to be 'random'. All it took was some discreet manipulation for Naruto and Neji to pick the number one and two. Being so early in the fighting would give Naruto a chance to recover and watch the remaining matches so as to learn something from them. He was certain that while Naruto would give Neji a run for his money, he couldn't defeat someone who outclassed him in every way.

He really should have remembered that Naruto was known for making the impossible possible.

**-xxxxx-**

Naruto sat on the edge of the bed he'd been provided in the tower, his mind lost in thought. The Sandaime had given them all one month to train themselves and learn any new techniques they could before their next match. It made sense, seeing as he'd shown the few techniques he had in his fight with Kiba, and he wanted an ace to whip out and smack Neji with.

Neji. Naruto's face darkened as he thought about him. He'd been willing to not only attack his family, but to attempt to _kill_ a member of his family. The image of Hinata being carried off as the doctors muttered something about her heart failing, and Neji's own smug expression were burnt vividly into his mind. If Lee hadn't been next to him, he was pretty sure that he would have attacked him.

Despite what everyone thought, he understood what everyone had said about Neji's fighting style and knew that he would have lost. At least, that's what he'd figured from what they'd said. Not that even that mattered to him, he was _going_ to win.

Naruto looked down at his hands, noticing how they were shaking slightly. After he'd drawn his number and been matched against Neji, he'd noticed it. He figured it was the sight of blood on his hands, and had gone to wash them. He remembered where the bathroom was in the tower, and had scrubbed furiously to remove his and Hinata's blood from his hands.

Even when he'd finished though, they continued to shake. He'd long since given up on trying to stop them or figure out why they were shaking. Lying down on the bed he closed his eyes, trying to force himself to sleep. They would be leaving the tower for Konoha in the morning, and he would need all the energy he had if he wanted to jump into training as soon as they got there.

As his eyes shut, he became restless. Naruto had always been an easy sleeper, and a heavy one at that. Falling asleep and staying asleep had never been a problem before. Now though, his mind wouldn't let him.

His mind continued to whirl, images and thoughts conflicting as he attempted to settle down. His match against Kiba, Neji and Hinata's fight, the words he'd said to encourage her. He raised his right hand above him, barely seeing it silhouette in the shadows. It was the hand he'd used to point at Neji when he made his vow.

'_Aw man, why did I have to say all that stuff to Hinata?'_ Naruto thought, slapping his face as he grumbled incomprehensible curses. _'She would have just dropped out and she would have been fine. But I had to go and open my big mouth because Neji was badmouthing her and now she's…'_

Naruto winced, the words of the doctors running through his mind. He'd never heard of the words 'cardiac arrest', but could tell by their tone that it wasn't a good thing. And the look in Kurenai's eyes as her student was taken by them stung. She'd avoided looking at Naruto, as though looking at him would remind him of what he'd done.

Naruto pushed himself up. Sleep wouldn't come, and he didn't want to get stuck thinking depressing thoughts like that. He needed to think positive. Or better yet, he needed to not think at all.

Walking out of his room, he began traveling through the halls. He had no destination in mind, he just needed to move. Twisting and turning through the halls, he found himself returning to the arena where he'd fought not a few hours before.

Naruto stared at the statue across from him, his eyes glazed over as he found himself thrown back into deep thought. _'What's going to happen now? I mean, Hinata only fought against Neji because I encouraged her. And I'm going to be fighting Neji in a month. What if I'm not ready? What if I'm not strong enough? What if Hinata…'_

Naruto cut the last thought off, not wanting to think about it. Grinding his teeth together, he groaned. "Man, this sucks."

"You don't say?"

Naruto literally leapt several feet in the air when he heard the voice. Turning slowly, he managed to greet his late night companion shakily. "Eh-heh…hey Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi smiled behind his mask. "Evening." Kakashi was sitting halfway up the stairs above Naruto, looking down on him with a kind expression. He had actually been there for a while, having found sleep hard to come by for him as well. He motioned to the spot next to him. "Why don't you take a seat?"

Hesitantly, Naruto moved to sit next to him. He shuffled nervously, watching Kakashi out of the corner of his eyes. "So…why are you up so late?"

"I thought I'd take a walk. I figured that I might as well do something while I'm awake." Kakashi said with a shrug of his shoulders. "What about you."

Naruto bit his lip. "I…just needed to get some air."

Kakashi nodded, making a halfhearted sound of understanding as he stared forward. After a moment, a small silence came between the two, both losing themselves once more in their thoughts. Kakashi was curious as to what Naruto was doing there, though he felt no need to pry into Naruto's business. Naruto, for the most part, was glad for something –anything- to distract him from his previous thoughts, though he was constantly being brought back to said subject as he wondered what Kakashi was doing there and somehow relating it to his fight.

Confused and frustrated, Naruto turned to Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, did I do the right thing?"

Kakashi's eye widened in surprise at Naruto's question. Turning back to Naruto, he looked into his eyes. He himself had always been self-reliant when he'd been younger, and had been trying to gently push his genin to avoid that path. Now, seeing Naruto in distress, he realized that he really had no idea of what to say.

"When?" He responded lamely. While it was a valid question, he already knew what Naruto was really asking.

"During Hinata's fight. I…did I make a mistake when I yelled at Hinata?" Naruto asked, looking away as he spoke. His eyes focused on the floor where Hinata had lay, his mind once again replaying the scene.

Kakashi sighed, leaning back against the stairs. "Do you think you shouldn't have said it?"

Naruto shook his head. "No! I-I mean…I don't think so."

Kakashi's smile faded. He remembered a similar conversation taking place, though what had happened was completely different. He mentally thanked Obito and Minato for not taking the conversation to a more private place when Obito had questioned what he'd done. "Was it the right thing to do?"

Naruto huffed, his eyes hardening as he looked back to Kakashi. "Yes."

What Neji was saying was not right, and he deserved a good punch in the face. As his resolved answer escaped his lips though, he felt more uncomfortable. Knowing that his words were justified seemed to make the feeling worse, as now whatever happened to Hinata would be on his hands.

Kakashi noted the slight shake in Naruto's hands as he stared at them. Shaking his head at the sight, he thanked his years as an Anbu captain for the experience he could use. "Naruto, do you regret saying what you said?"

Naruto shook his head, his eyes still focused on his ever shaking hands.

Kakashi pushed himself to his feet. "Are you a man of your word?"

Naruto's head snapped up, his jaw clenched as he stared up at Kakashi. "Yes. I never go back on my word…that's my nindo."

Kakashi nodded. "Good." He looked down on Naruto, his eye showing nothing but respect for what Naruto was feeling. "Do you remember what I taught you when you first failed my test?"

Naruto nodded. "Those who break the rules are trash, but those who betray their friends are worse than trash."

Kakashi smiled at how Naruto was able to recite what he'd told him all that time before. It was one of many reminders that Naruto was more attentive to what people told him. "Good, you remember." He said, beginning to leave for his room. Before completely leaving, he looked over his shoulder at the still sitting Naruto. "You stood by a friend, and cheered her on when no one else would. You believed she could when everyone else said she couldn't. Your words meant more to her than you really know Naruto, and if you're going to keep your promise to her you need to be stronger. Neji's no pushover, but I know that you can do it." Kakashi turned around, his eye closed and upturned in its usual 'smile' form. "After all, you are the 'Most Unpredictable Shinobi' in Konoha, and I believe you can do it."

Naruto watched Kakashi leave, his mind frozen as he thought over what Kakashi had told him. A small smile grew on his face as he finally got up. "Alright then! If Kakashi-sensei thinks I can, and I know I can, then I can do it! Time to get started!"

Naruto leapt over the railing, grinning like a maniac as he ran towards the center of the ring. As soon as he got halfway there, he froze. He remembered something that he'd somehow forgotten because of Hinata and Kakashi.

"How could I forget something so important?" Naruto yelled, grabbing either side of his head in shock as he whirled around and dashed back to his room.

Later, an insomniac Gaara cursed his sleeplessness as a blond and green blur ran around the tower at one o'clock in the morning shouting something about youth and training. It was going to be a long night.

**-xxxxx-**

Rokusho Aoi sighed as he exited the Forest of Death. He wouldn't be able to remain in Konoha because his team had failed to win their fights, and was rather disappointed. He'd been looking forward to seeing just how bad Konoha's security was, and just how easy it would be to convince another wayward genin hopeful to steal something of great importance from the Hokage's Tower. He remembered a scroll that supposedly held the village's kinjutsu (Forbidden Techniques) that had never been as secure as it should have been.

He'd already checked on that particular item though, and found that the security had been raised since he'd been there. Probably due to the increase in foreign shinobi and officials who were in the village. Aoi chucked at that. The only chance he had to attempt to get the scroll was the only time they were actually careful about who was allowed close to it.

"It's ironic." He muttered. "That the village only guards its secrets when there are foreign shinobi _within_ the village, instead of continually from any potential enemy."

"Sarutobi always put his faith in his shinobi to guard the village when he wasn't focused on inward threats."

Aoi spun around, whipping the umbrella he had on his back to a defensive position in front of him. His eyes widened as he saw who it was, looking down on him from a nearby rooftop. "Orochimaru."

Orochimaru smirked at Aoi's awestruck expression. "Ah Aoi, so you do remember me."

Aoi readied his umbrella, already aware that it was as good as useless against an opponent of Orochimaru's level. "How could I forget? You were my inspiration when I decided to leave from the village. Granted, I couldn't do everything you did, though I did manage to make off with a very valuable piece of Konoha's history."

"The Nidaime's scroll." Orochimaru replied.

Aoi narrowed his eyes at Orochimaru's response. He wasn't expecting Orochimaru to respond like that. Slowly reaching beneath his clothes, he grasped the hilt of the hidden Raijin. "I was actually talking about the other item I obtained."

"Oh, I know all about that." Orochimaru said in a nonchalant manner. The way he responded made Aoi pause, confused by the meaning behind his words. "Honestly, do you really think that I don't know how the Raijin works? I lived while he was alive. I got to ask him personally about how it worked, why he used it, and how he made it. There's nothing about the Raijin that I don't already know."

Aoi felt his fingers twitch tightly around the Raijin. He wanted nothing more than to show Orochimaru that he underestimating the skill he'd obtained from the time he'd used the weapon. However, he held back. This was an opportunity to get what he'd wanted from when he'd first plotted to steal the Raijin and Nidaime's scroll; the power to become a feared shinobi. In Ame, he'd gotten the status, but he was barely listed as a B-ranked threat in the Bingo Book. If he managed to persuade Orochimaru into trading power for the scroll…

"Then why does the scroll interest you?" Aoi asked, releasing his grip on Raijin.

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow as he watched him release his hidden weapon. He'd been looking forward to making the fool understand the difference in their power before offering a trade. However, Aoi was showing himself to be smarter than he'd previously believed. _'Good.'_

"The Nidaime's scroll had the secret writings of the Nidaime. While I already know nearly all of his techniques from personally talking to him, I'm curious as to what he might've added into the scroll before he died. After all, those techniques would make a great addition to my already immense arsenal."

Aoi nodded, understanding Orochimaru's own obsession with learning every shinobi technique there was to learn. He himself had no need for the Nidaime's techniques as he had a fire affinity, and learning Suiton (Water Release) would be pointless as they wouldn't have the same power that someone with a water affinity would have. Now though, he just needed to find out just what he could get for giving the scroll. "And…what would you exchange for the scroll? I don't have it on me, and it would be pointless to kill me as I can get it far more easily than most others as they believe me to be an ally."

Orochimaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Amegakure no Sato (Village hidden in the Rain) was lead by Hanzo, a man that even he knew better than to cross. Him, and the current civil war, were the only things that kept himself from going in and getting the scroll without all the hoops he was jumping through. Then again, it wouldn't be as fun to do.

"A secret power. One that only the Sandaime, myself, and the guardians of said power are aware of." Orochimaru responded. He relished in Aoi's surprised look as he continued on. "There is a place where several…objects rest. There is not much known of what they can do, but what people have seen from previous wielders has caused their existence to be erased from all text. Only those with personal knowledge know of what they can do, and where they are hidden."

Aoi felt excitement rush through him. If he got his hands on power that had caused the entirety of their existence to disappear, then he would be more than capable of etching his name as one to be feared in history. "Tell me more."

"Patience Aoi-san. All in good time." Orochimaru reached within his shirt and pulled out a black scroll and threw it to Aoi. Aoi looked over the scroll curiously. The only thing that he found odd about the scroll was that on one end of the scroll was a bell. He shook it a few times experimentally and found that it was silent. "This is a summoning scroll that I personally designed. The bell will not ring until the other side is ready to be summoned. When it does, have the Nidaime's scroll with you to give as payment for the information. You will then be told you're instructions on how to get to their current resting place."

Aoi scowled at hearing that he had to jump through hoops to get the power he wanted, but nodded despite his frustration. If Orochimaru wanted his help with something, he would be more than willing to give it. The power that he'd spoken of was too good to pass up.

Looking up from the scroll after examining it one last time, he sighed as he found the rooftop Orochimaru had previously occupied to be free from any trace of the former Sannin. Walking away, he couldn't help but smirk at his once great village. It was amazing just how easy it was to outwit them.

**-xxxxx-**

Kurenai strolled down the halls of the hospital, making her way to Hinata's room. Because of the damage she'd taken, she'd been stabilized and then rushed back to the village to undergo further treatment. It had taken some doing, but she'd eventually been given consent to rush to the hospital.

That had been several hours ago, and general visiting hours were over. Being her sensei allowed her to come at a later time, but she wouldn't be allowed to visit until morning. Not that Hinata was allowed visitors just yet; she wasn't that well just yet.

And it was all because of Naruto. She couldn't blame him, as she knew that he had his own beliefs, but she did feel some resentment for how his words pushed Hinata into a fight she wasn't ready for. Especially considering where Hinata was now.

As she rounded the corner to the room Hinata had been placed in, she was shocked to find Maito Gai standing in front of the door with a solemn look. Hesitantly, she walked up to him. Looking at the door that let to where Hinata was she found some comfort to see that it had windows into the room to allow them to see her. That comfort was dashed almost as quickly as she saw Hinata's condition. She was hooked up to multiple monitors, several I.V.'s, and required tubes to help her keep breathing. Her usually plain completion was far more pale, and Kurenai couldn't help but cutch her hands to her chest as she realized that the monitor that was reading her heartbeat was too slow to be healthy.

"I'm sorry."

Kurenai turned to Gai, noting the hollow expression on his face. It was normal to see the man in an exuberantly cheery mood which made his current expression all the more difficult to comprehend. More importantly, she didn't understand why he was apologizing. "What for?"

"I should have stepped in earlier." Gai said, his eyes never leaving Hinata's still form. "I should have done so much more…but for both of my students sakes, I held back."

Kurenai turned back to Hinata, her own expression becoming blank. "You just wanted them to grow, to move past their limits."

"I should have seen it coming." Gai said, turning away from Hinata. "Neji's hatred for the Hyuuga's Main House was apparent to anyone who spoke to him. He still talks about how it's his 'fate' to be a servant of the Main House, even as he pushes himself to become strong enough to stand up to them."

Kurenai hesitantly placed a hand on Gai's shoulder. "You couldn't have seen this coming. The match up was unexpected, and neither of us wanted to get involved in the fight. If anything, Naruto –" Kurenai cut herself off, not sure how to finish her though.

"Naruto is the one who inspired Hinata." Gai finished for her, his smile finally returning as he glanced at Kurenai. "He saw how they were trying to fight their fates and reminded Hinata of why she was there. You heard for yourself her reasoning, to 'change herself'." He motioned to Hinata. "If she were awake, would you take that from her?"

Kurenai returned her gaze to Hinata. She looked smaller than normal as she lay in the hospital bed, so fragile and defenseless. And yet, during the fight, her eyes had burned with resolve she had never seen from her in all the time she'd taught Hinata. Hinata, who'd fail in the most inopportune moments of their missions, who trained harder than either of her teammates in an attempt to get stronger…had become stronger from a few words of encouragement from that boy.

Kurenai shook her head. "No, I wouldn't. I didn't wish for her to have suffered like this though. Family issues or not, what Neji did was borderline inhumane. From the very beginning he was intentionally aiming to cripple her in both body and mind."

Gai nodded solemnly. "It pains me to know that he has let the flames of revenge smolder for as long as he has, but I'm afraid that I cannot do anything to change what has happened." Giving Kurenai a thumbs up, he continued. "All I can do is put my faith and trust in Naruto-kun to show Neji the error of his ways."

Blinking at Gai's return to his normal self, Kurenai sighed. "I don't understand how you can just say something like that with such blind conviction. I mean, you trained Neji, so you probably know more about how strong he is than anyone –"

"No, I don't."

"What?" Kurenai felt a chill run down her back as Gai returned to his serious self. It was odd watching Gai shift from his normal goofy self to serious. "What do you mean you don't? You trained him…right?"

Gai nodded. "Yes, I trained him. I trained him as one of the team. But when it came time for individual practice, he and Tenten left to their own devices. Only Lee stayed with me and participated in my training." He turned to look at another room not far away. Lee's room. "That's why I knew Lee's strength when he fought Gaara. I knew everything he could do, and that he has the potential to grow even more. Neji though, I have little more to go on than what he's shown at team practice. He's managed to keep himself as much of an enigma as possible"

"But that doesn't make sense!" Kurenai shouted. "If you don't know how strong Neji is, then how can you put your trust in Naruto so readily?"

"Because he is a 'genius of hard work' the likes of which are only matched by Lee and myself." Gai crossed his arms, nodding to himself. "Yes, Naruto is truly a 'genius of hard work'. When he faces Neji, his flames will no doubt burn brightly for all to see, and overcome Neji's need for revenge."

Kurenai's frown deepened. "He's just a kid!"

"No." Gai said as his grin widened. "He's a shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato, and the student of my eternal rival Hatake Kakashi. He is stronger than he appears. And he will only grow stronger."

An uncomfortable silence grew between them as both looked at their students. Gai looked at Lee, who'd fought proudly and overcome so many obstacles, with the proud look only a sensei could have and with the belief that Naruto could do much like Lee could. Kurenai looked at Hinata with the pain of a sensei that was uncertain of how her student would be affected by the events that had occurred, with a smoldering resentment towards the boys who had caused her pain. While their views were different, in the end both knew one thing for certain.

Naruto had two people who would be watching him intently during his match in a month.

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AN: And that's a wrap. This chapter may seem 'filler', and was a pain to write, but it was needed.

Cannon Naruto (idiot that he was) gave Kishi a chance to quickly push straight into training after the prelims. My Naruto is still like cannon Naruto, he's just more aware. Specifically, aware of how words can twist a person. Thank Ino for that particular plot progression. And, as such, he couldn't just have him jump on without addressing it. I'm not Kishi, who still hasn't addressed the NaruHina bit in his own manga. Seriously, the diehard fans want to know what Naruto's reaction is…beyond going into a Kyuubi fueled berserk mode.

Also, the chapter gave me a bit to go over Sarutobi and Kurenai's views on Naruto. Those fools. They should really know better than to scorn him when he's only gone above and beyond the call of duty. Also, as I wrote the last bit, the hospital scene needed some push and Gai just so happened to be there to give it for me. When I reread it, for some reason it felt like a Gai x Kurenai moment. Did it come off that way, or am I just imagining it?

Next chapter I'll explain what I call the "Chidori Theory" at the end of the chapter...fun stuff that. Plus it should be a pretty good twist as far as Kakashi and Sasuke are concerned.

Next time on Word of Honor: _Blood Oath._ We witness the return of the spandex, Han'ishiki begins acting out, and we learn why Naruto was an idiot last chapter.


	14. Blood Oath

Thank you all who informed me that it they didn't feel it was a Gai x Kurenai scene! I'm much happier with that scene now.

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Disclaimer: I own no Naruto. I could buy some, but that would be really...really, weird.

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Word of Honor

_Chapter 14: Blood Oath_

Naruto stood before a waterfall, the noise not quite enough to drown out the other noises in the forest, but enough to give him something to focus on. He'd been there for several hours after ditching the returning group to find somewhere to train, and he was getting nowhere. If looks could kill…Naruto would be in the exact same situation, just with the ability to kill people on sight.

Growling frustrated, he dropped into a sitting position. Naruto had a problem. Normally, when he had a problem, there was a very good solution to it; beat it up or keep pushing until it did what he wanted it to do. Of course, those were mainly problems with his techniques, problems with strength, or problems with other people. Not once had he had a problem like this before...not counting his other promise-related issues.

Naruto couldn't get into his head. He'd planned it all out; leave for a secluded area, enter his mindscape, get some answers, and then train until it hurt to think about moving. After doing the first two parts of his plan, he'd realized that he had absolutely no idea how he was going to get into his mindscape.

Which led to his current predicament. He'd tried pretty much anything he could think of that he could do without outside help. He'd meditated until he couldn't take it (roughly five minutes), he'd tried breathing slower (a surprising hour), and he'd tried listening to the waterfall to find his 'inner peace' (Another surprising hour). Now, he was out of ideas, and had wasted his time doing stuff that didn't help him at all.

Muttering curses under his breath, he picked up a rock and chucked it into the pooled water in front of him. "Stupid water trick. Didn't help me at all. How am I supposed to get into my mindscape now?"

Glaring at the water, though not expecting an answer, he lay back to stare up at the sky. It wasn't helping any, but it was better than staring at the ever frustrating water. Plus, it gave him time to do an activity that he was normally not prone to doing; thinking. He'd been doing a surprising amount of that recently, and it was oddly satisfying when he actually was able to figure stuff out, though twice as frustrating if he couldn't come up with an answer.

His greatest idea so far was what the thought of help him wear the spandex Gai and Lee had give him without anyone questioning him. It had taken a while, but eventually he'd thought of a way to hide it. In a stroke of genius, he'd just thrown his jumpsuit over it and worn it to where he was now. Neither Ino nor Sakura had questioned his fashion sense, seeing as no one could take his jumpsuit away from him. Like Gai and Lee's spandex were a part of what identified them, his jumpsuit was the same.

Now though, he'd shed the jumpsuit in favor of the spandex. He'd been all hyped up when Gai had told him how Lee had grown by leaps and bounds after wearing said spandex, but wasn't seeing much yet. Then again, he hadn't really been training yet.

"There's gotta be a way in!" He shouted, flailing about on the ground. "I mean come on! I was able to talk to Han'ishiki during the fight, so why can't I now? It's my brain, let me in!"

He was greeted only with the sound of nature in reply. At least, an outward reply. Inwardly, the little hamster in his head began to run on its wheel.

Sitting upright, his eyes widened. "Hey wait a sec. I was able to talk to Han'ishiki during my fight with Kiba and right after! Uh…how'd I do that?"  
Scratching his head, he thought back on the fight. He remembered saying that he wouldn't back down, rushing past Kiba, focusing his chakra –

"Maybe I need to focus my chakra." Naruto muttered. Considering his other failed ideas, he was more than willing to give it a shot.

Closing his eyes and placing his hands into the 'ram' seal, he began focusing his chakra. He started with his feet, remembering how he'd been given a burst of speed during the fight. Not getting a response, he channeled it into his hands. He wasn't really sure if it would work, but it was worth a shot. Once again unable to get a peep out of him, he focused on his head.

As he did, he noticed something strange. In the front of his head, it felt like his chakra was going over some kind of lump. Figuring that was where Han'ishiki was, he focused as much of his chakra as he could towards the lump.

Then, everything began to fade.

**-xxxxx-**

Several hours after dawn, the proctors and participants of the Chunin Exam's second test had arrived back in Konoha. Some when directly to their training, others visited family, and others still visited teammates in the hospital. Sasuke would have wanted to be in the first category, but had somehow been dragged into another category all together; the waiting for his sensei to show up and help him train, category.

Sasuke scowled as he looked around for his sensei, having been left waiting outside of a dango shop for nearly two hours. He was losing daylight, and wanted to start training. He'd seen what Gaara could do, and after reading a few scrolls on the Sharingan that he'd had with him, he wasn't feeling all that confident. Well, not in his current abilities. That's why he wanted to train; so that he would be ready, and so he'd win.

"I see you're on time."

Sasuke felt his eyebrow twitch as he turned to his sensei. "You're late."

Kakashi smiled at his response. "Ah, so you're finally becoming like your other teammates. I'm hurt."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I've been waiting for two hours after you told me to be here. Naruto already left to train somewhere, and right now I don't know how I'm going to beat Gaara." He shuffled his feet nervously, the words he was about to say hurting to even think about. "I…I need your help."

Kakashi nodded. "I see. Well, I have an idea that could work."

Sasuke grinned, brightening like the kid he was. "So you're going to train me, and help me learn something to fight Gaara?"

Kakashi smiled as well, glad to see that Sasuke still had it in him to act his age. Unfortunately, "Sorry Sasuke, but I can't teach you during the month break."

Sasuke looked he'd been struck. "What? But, why not?"

"Look Sasuke, I've put a lot of thought into this and I can't." Kakashi said. Noting that Sasuke's hurt expression didn't change, he decided to explain. "It wouldn't be right to train you, especially since you weren't the only one to make it to the finals."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "So you're training _Naruto_?"

"I didn't say that. I said he made it too." Kakashi replied. Sasuke seemed to find the answer acceptable, though from what he could tell he did not understand what he was talking about. "Sasuke, I'm not training either of you."  
"Then…how?" Sasuke asked. To him, Kakashi sounded like he was talking in circles. First he was going to help and then he wasn't? "You said you'd help."

"I said I had an idea." Kakashi stepped to the side and made a vague motion to the person that had just shown up. "I called in a favor."

Sasuke looked the man over with a critical eye. He wore a pair of sunglasses, a generic vest-less jonin outfit, and wore his hiate bandana style. He seemed…odd to Sasuke. Similar to Kakashi, but lacking that same 'danger' that Kakashi was able to pull off when he was serious. He looked serious enough, but it almost felt more like one of the Academy teachers was standing in front of him than an elite jonin. "Who's this?"

"This is Ebisu. Normally he's a private tutor, but like I said, he owed me a favor. He's a jonin with a higher level of skill than most, and has proven himself as a strong ally time and time again." Giving Ebisu a quick nod, he turned away. "I leave him to you Ebisu-san."

Sasuke blinked as Kakashi disappeared in a burst of smoke. Turning back to Ebisu, he looked at him curiously. "So, you owed Kakashi-sensei."

Ebisu nodded. "Yes Uchiha-sama. Now if you don't mind, I think –"

"What kind of favor was it?" Sasuke asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Ebisu paused, shivering as he recalled exactly what sort of 'favor' he owed Kakashi. "I-it's not important right now. What is important is your training. Now, how well do you know your basic three?"

"What?"

"Your basic three. Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique), Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique), and the Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Replacement Technique). " Ebisu repeated. "It may sound strange, but they are far more useful than most believe."

Sasuke scoffed. "Really? The only useful one is the last one, and that's because it's good for distractions and for getting out of tight situations without an enemy knowing. How will knowing the other two help me?"

Ebisu shook his head. "I see. Kakashi was not exaggerating when he said that you would need some convincing." A small smile crossed his face as he made a 'follow' motion. "Come. There is much to learn."

And, with nothing but his sensei's word and his own curiosity, Sasuke followed. He really had no idea of just how much he was going to learn.

**-xxxxx-**

The first thing Naruto noticed was the lack of sound. He'd been sitting in front of a waterfall listening to the dull roar, and then he wasn't. Opening his eyes slowly, he looked around. He was once again in the hallway that he'd been in when he'd been knocked out in the forest.

"Wait, that worked?" Naruto questioned to himself, looking around. Pushing himself up, he grinned. "Yes! I am awesome!"

"I'm gonna hug you, and squeeze you, and play with your hair all day long!"

Naruto blinked, turning to where he'd heard the strange shout. Walking down the hallway, he peeked around each corner hesitantly, not sure what he'd heard. After not seeing anyone for the first couple of corners, he got slightly bolder. When he got to the main room though, he found a very odd sight.

Han'ishiki was hanging upside-down by the balcony, his ever impassive expression staring at the odd sight in the center of the cylindrical room. Kushina was sitting in the room, chatting absentmindedly with someone else who Naruto couldn't quite see. She had found a brush from…somewhere, and was messing around with it.

Naruto tilted his head in a confused manner, looking up at Han'ishiki. "Uh…what did I miss?"

Han'ishiki looked down…up at him. **:: Hm? Oh Naruto, good to see you baka::**

"What?" Naruto asked.

Han'ishiki dropped down from the balcony. **:: We'll get to that later. First, getting Kushina away from our guest::**

"Wait what? Why am I a baka? What guest? What's going on here?" Naruto yelled, his eye twitching.

His yell got Kushina's attention, making her jump from where she sat. "Naruto! I-I wasn't expecting you to get back here so fast." She scooted in front of the other person, hiding her from view. "Uh, so what are you doing here?"

"I had some questions." Naruto said, his eyes narrowing at her as she tried to distract him. "But now, I just want to know who that is."

Kushina looked away in attempt to be nonchalant. "I don't know what you're talking –"

**:: You brought Hinata into your mind, baka::** Han'ishiki cut her off, with what could have been a ghost of a smile on his face.

Kushina glared at Han'ishiki. "Hey! You didn't have to do that!"

Han'ishiki didn't bother saying anything. Naruto on the other hand, "Wait, what are you talking about? Hinata's not…"

Whatever he was going to say died away as the 'guest' peaked around Kushina's legs. He caught sight of her for a brief second before there was a squeak and she disappeared back behind her legs. Naruto's eyebrows leapt into his hairline, knowing only one girl that acted like that.

"…uh…what…" He gripped his head in pain. "I'm so lost!"

**:: That's cause you're a baka, and made a far bigger promise than you were ready for::**

Naruto glared at Han'ishiki. "Yes, because that explains everything!" He turned to Kushina with a pleading look. "What is going on?"

Kushina sighed, stepping out from in front of Hinata. The poor girl squeaked again and dropped her gaze to the ground. "Han'ishiki is right, you made a bigger promise than you were ready for. He could have said it better, but he's right."

Naruto shook his head. "Okay, how?"

**:: Nice spandex::** Han'ishiki said, distracting them again.

Kushina raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you talking about?" She looked at Naruto, her eyes widening as she took in his appearance. It shifted really quickly to an expression reminiscing of a fish. "N-Naruto! What are you wearing?"

Naruto looked down at his clothes. Oddly enough, he was still wearing the spandex that he'd worn to train in. "What? What does that have to do with –?"

"That is…who gave…no!" Kushina said, crossing her arms angrily. "I cannot allow you to wear that!"

"What? It increases my training capability and will help make me twice as strong as I am now." Naruto said, frowning at Kushina's sudden anger.

**:: It also makes him more streamline::** Han'ishiki said helpfully.

"Stay out of this Han'ishiki!" Kushina shouted, glaring at him. "You aren't helping!"

Han'ishiki gave Kushina a half lidded look. **:: Well, it's one against one, so we'll need a tie breaker. Naruto's not allowed to give his opinion, so that leaves…Hinata::**

"That's a great idea!" Kushina said, rounding on Hinata. "What do you think Hinata?"

Hinata's head snapped up, her eyes wide in terror. Her mouth opened and closed in an attempt to say something. She looked between Han'ishiki and Kushina, before turning to Naruto. Naruto felt rather uncomfortable as he felt her eyes dart over his spandex clad form, not sure what she was thinking. After a moment her eyes dropped back to the ground to hide her rosy red face, and she gave Han'ishiki a thumbs up.

"Traitor." Kushina muttered.

**:: So we're agreed::** Han'ishiki said, patting Naruto on the shoulder. **:: The spandex are in::**

Naruto blinked, allowing what just happened to go through his head a couple times before he grinned, rushed up, and hugged Hinata. "Thanks Hinata-chan! Now my training will continue to grow faster than –" Thump. "Hinata! What happened?"

Kushina face-palmed at Naruto's actions. "She's probably not used to such intimate contact."

"Intimate?" Naruto asked, dropping Hinata rather unceremoniously to the floor. "But…it's a hug. How is that intimate?"

**:: Later Naruto. Now, your big screw up…baka::**

Naruto could feel steam coming from his head as he turned to Han'ishiki angrily. "You're the one who keeps changing the subject!"

"Naruto." Kushina said as she rubbed her forehead in an attempt to quell the headache she was getting from all of Naruto's screaming. "Just don't, okay? He may not look like it, but he's enjoying this…a _lot_."

**:: I'm a troublemaker by nature. If you want to blame anyone, blame Naruto::** Han'ishiki said, walking calmly away from the two. Both had to restrain the other from kicking him as his back was turned. When he realized that they were still standing there, he looked over his shoulder. **:: Are you coming? ::**

Neither wanted to, but both followed. Kushina carried Hinata, as they would need to explain why she was in his head after this particular talk. She stared at Han'ishiki as he led them forwards. _'He's not really what I expected him to be. He's trying to provoke Naruto into doing…something. I'd better keep an eye on him.'_

As they continued down the hall, Naruto noticed that it was slightly different from the others. For one, there was red carpet that lined the floor as they walked on. The lighting was somewhat dimmer, almost in a reverent manner; as though the lighting was set to match whatever was happening in the rooms. It was amazing to Naruto, and he felt a sense of peace as he followed along.

Another thing that was different was that the rooms had no doors, just an arch that led into the room. Curiosity getting the better of him, Naruto peeked into one of the rooms they passed. It looked empty for the most part, except for a thumbtack board on the other side of the room. Walking over to it, he looked over what was currently tacked to the board.

"I won't as Sakura on dates…I won't pull pranks for the day…I'll help Ino get – what the heck?" Naruto asked, reading the first few before he realized what he was reading. Spinning around to Han'ishiki and Kushina, he pointed at the board. "_This_ is where my promises are?"

Kushina looked over the board, chewing on her lip as she looked over Naruto's past promises. "Huh, you have a very organized way of putting your promises. Then again, you don't have a whole bunch to take care of yet." Setting Hinata –who had just woken- onto her feet, she walked up to the board. Gently, she ran her fingers along the board's edge. "These are the promises you don't really hold in high regard, the ones you regret making."

Naruto looked between Kushina and the board, noticing something else. "Hey, there's a red piece of tape behind the prank one."

**:: That's because you already were released from that particular promise::** Han'ishiki said, staying outside of the room and leaning against the arch. **:: The others are ones that you have yet to fulfill, and haven't been released from::**

"Released? Fulfilled?" Naruto glanced between the board and Han'ishiki. Slowly, realization slowly dawning on his face. "Wait, so if I get Sakura or Ino to tell me that I don't have to keep my promise, I won't have to?"

**:: Pretty much::**

Naruto pumped his fist in the air. "Yes! I don't have to follow Ino around forever!" He suddenly fell to knees, tears streaming down his face. "Thank you Kami-sama…thank you."

Kushina and Hinata sweatdropped at Naruto's odd behavior, though Kushina vaguely understood what Naruto meant by that. "Alright, enough thanking, more moving!"

Naruto shook his head, clearing it of his momentary delirium. Wiping the tears away and jumping to his feet, he ran after Han'ishiki who had once again walked away without them.

Another moment later, they arrived at their destination. Naruto raised an eyebrow at how simple the entrance was until he stepped inside. Once inside, he had to collect his jaw, as the room was a near perfect replica of the Hokage's room. He didn't take a moment to take anything in; instead he threw himself forwards and ran past the Hokage's desk to look out the window. Sure enough, behind the desk was a giant mountain with faces carved into it.

As he looked over said faces, he realized something was off. For one, there were _two_ faces, not the four that everyone was used to seeing. Another difference was that the second was distinctly a girls face. And finally, the faces had rock color that matched the faces of the two people.

The first face was distinctly his own. He had no idea where they got the color for his face from, but it made him look a little pudgy. The other face had lighter skin-rock tone, making it look softer against the mountain. As he stared closer, he realized that the girl's face was actually not complete; the color for her skin was the only color that was 'colored in'.

"Hey, who's that girl?" Naruto asked, turning to his three companions. As he did, he got an eyeful of picture that he'd missed running into the room. Looking at the first, he froze, his eyes darting over the picture as he tried to take it in.

It was a picture of him. Or at least, that's what it was probably supposed to be. He didn't remember ever having a bunch of spears and other weapons protruding from his back. In fact, he looked like Zabuza, only with his jacket still on; albeit, the jacket was unzipped and looked as though it was slightly carried in the breeze. He had a feral grin that stretched around a kunai in his mouth that covered with flecks of blood, similar to the blood covering the ground around him. The angle of the picture appeared to be looking up at picture-him from the ground of the bridge, allowing his picture-eyes to be shadowed by his hair since his hiate had fallen to his feet. Written in blood red lettering above picture-Naruto's head were four words.

_I won't run away!_

Naruto stared at the picture, rubbing his eyes a few times as though to make sure that he wasn't imagining it. He'd never thought that he could look so…cool.

"Is…is that me?" Naruto asked, walking over to the painting.

Kushina nodded, a small smile on her face. "This is the first promise you made with your bloodline. Actually, it's what activated your bloodline. Your very first blood oath."

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Huh, I didn't see this coming." He muttered, inwardly wondering if he could look as cool as picture-Naruto without having the weapons in his back.

**:: You're second blood oath is right here::** Han'ishiki said, patting another picture that he'd missed a moment before.

Looking over the second picture, Naruto tilted his head to the side. Like the first, he was in it. However, this time he didn't look like a porcupine with different weapons in his back. This picture though, was also different in a number of other ways.

For one, only the top half was done. It depicted him, just like the first, covered with various cuts and wielding ninja wire strung through nine kunai that curved behind him. His eyes were completely white; whether they were unfinished or shining with some ethereal light, he didn't know. Over the kunai wreath were four words written in red lettering, just like the first.

_I vow to win._

"What happened to the bottom half of this picture?" Naruto asked.

The bottom half of the picture was partly white, the other part beginning to depict something. When he tilted his head and squinted his eyes, it looked like there was someone else in the picture. Who they were, and what they were doing weren't yet painted, which didn't make sense. The top half was depicted really well considering it had only been one day; so why wasn't the rest of it done?

Kushina sighed. It was time to explain his mistake. "Naruto, that picture's not finished because the second promise hasn't been made."

Naruto's head snapped around. "Second promise? What second promise?"

"You used another person's blood with your own when you made the promise. For an Uzumaki, a blood oath is one of the most powerfully binding of any promise you can make. One of the biggest reasons behind this is that a blood oath is to be taken far more seriously by you, and just as much by the person you're making your promise to." Kushina explained, her hand resting on Hinata's head. "When you use another person's blood though, it becomes twice as powerful because it becomes a _conditional_ promise."

"Conditional?" Naruto said with a frown. "Is that like signing a contract?"

Kushina blinked at the odd –though fitting– connection, before nodding. "Yes, it's like signing a contract. As long as you live up to your end of the contract, the other person is obligated to uphold their end. But, if they don't uphold their end of the contract, you aren't held to the rules of the contract."

Her visage changed dramatically as she continued, far more serious about what was about to be said. "Now, just to prevent this from happening again out of ignorance, there are three kinds of promises. Verbal promises, contact contracts, and blood oaths. Each one creates a stronger 'contract' than the next, due to chakra connection. A verbal contract uses only your chakra, meaning that you're bound to your promise absolutely, but get little for it as there isn't any wiggle room.

"A physical contract is more similar to a blood oath than a verbal promise, but doesn't have the same depth. There is a bit more room to work with the promise, as you can just promise a person and shake hands, or you can have the other person make a promise of their own, making it a conditional promise like a blood oath. The other person's chakra intermixes into your own through their skin, but is only wisps of chakra compared to your oaths.

"Blood oaths are the strongest, and shouldn't be made unless you are dead set on making the promise, and know how to word your promise so that you aren't so bound by your promise that you fail every time something comes up. If you use someone else's blood, it becomes even more powerful, but…" Kushina paused in her explanation, turning to Hinata. "There is a cost to doing that."

Naruto nodded, actually understanding just a little of what Kushina had said. Looking at the first picture, his mind whirled as it finally made a connection. "Hey, I think I figured out my keyword thing!"

Kushina looked surprised at the statement. She hadn't thought he'd figure it out for a while, seeing as there were a lot of words to go through. _'Maybe he's just more talented in his bloodline than I gave him credit for.'_

**:: No, no you didn't::** Han'ishiki said dashing the thought away.

Naruto glared at him frustrated glare. "What do you mean I didn't? Isn't it one of the words I said to Kiba?"

Han'ishiki shook his head. **:: No, it isn't one of those words. However, you did get it half right::**

"…you lost me."

**:: The blood oath part of your bloodline is like a box within a box. The box with your main power is constantly overflowing with power, power that you have yet to delve into and truly experience. Then, there's the second box that carries some of the overflow from the first box before it's released into you::** Han'ishiki motioned to the first painting. **:: You said these words during your fight, right before you became stronger. Repeating your promise is apparently the key to your overflow power…your second box. Now, all you have to do is find your key to your main power, or first box if you will::**

Naruto stared at the paining, his mind crunching through the sudden overload of information he'd been given. As he went through the information, a thought occurred to him. "Why?"

"Why what?" Kushina asked, caught off balanced by the question.

"Why didn't you tell me this stuff before?" Naruto said, looking at Kushina and Han'ishiki with a betrayed look.

Kushina took a step back, feeling guilty about not telling him. Han'ishiki on the other hand, didn't seem as affected. **:: Because you weren't ready::**

"Ready?" Naruto asked, enraged by the statement. "I am ready! Why won't you tell me what –?"

"If we told you, would you have hesitated?"

Naruto stumbled in his words, turning his glare to Kushina. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Kushina sighed. "Naruto, you can't make a promise you aren't sure you'll be able to keep at that time. Remember when Sasuke told you to win? You didn't promise him that you could. Why didn't you?"

Naruto flinched, turning away as if struck. "I-it wasn't…I didn't…"

"Exactly. You weren't sure if you could win. You were still shaken up from the Kusa genin that attacked you, you weren't sure if you'd be strong enough to take them on. You were even worried to take on Kiba!"

Naruto growled at that. "I could've taken on dog-breath any day of the week."

**:: You say that now, but are you sure that's what you were thinking before the fight?::** Han'ishiki asked, his blank face somehow managing a 'knowing' look. Naruto cursed his subconsciousness under his breath. **:: I know what you were thinking, and it wasn't 'I can win'. It was '**_**how**_** can I win'. You were scared, even if you didn't show it, and that made it impossible for you to make your promises::**

"Which brings us back to your current problem." Kushina said, glad that Naruto was getting what they were saying and that the yelling was at a minimum. When she'd had a similar talk, the yelling had gone on for over an hour before her father and subconsciousness were able to calm her down.

"What problem?"

"You made a big blood oath yesterday. One that you might not be able to keep as you are now." Kushina shook her head. "Honestly, you don't even have the second promise."

"Second…oh!" Naruto snapped to the second picture, the reasoning behind the missing half suddenly clear to him now. "So, I have to find Neji and make him make me a promise?"

**:: You're half right, baka::**

Naruto gave Han'ishiki a deadpanned look. "Why do you keep calling me a baka?"

**:: Because you have to have Hinata make you a promise that she'll likely break, otherwise, you'll never be allowed to lose. Ever::** Han'ishiki replied, waiting for the upcoming explosion.

There was a moment of silence as Naruto stared at Han'ishiki. Then, his head slowly turned to Hinata, who squeaked and looked away. Then, it clicked. "But…what…how…why?"

**:: All you're missing is who, where, and when::**

Kushina and Naruto face-planted at that. Kushina quickly picked herself up and glared at Han'ishiki. _'This guy is ridiculous! There is no way that he's Naruto's subconscious. He's too…unpredictable.'_

Naruto sighed, scratching his cheek absentmindedly. "So, I what your saying is, I can't lose without breaking my oath?"

Kushina nodded. "Yep."

"And it'll stay that way unless Hinata makes and breaks a promise to me?"

Han'ishiki shrugged. **:: Basically. The only other thing would be for her to release you from that promise, but that's too dangerous at the moment::**

Naruto nodded to himself, a large grin on his face. "Then I won't lose! Not to Neji, not to anyone!" Naruto's resolution startled Kushina, though what he said next did so more than that. "Now then, how can I beat Neji, if I only can use the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)?"

"The…what?" Kushina asked, a dark aura coming over her. "Naruto, I must not have heard you right. What technique did you say you know?"

Naruto, ever oblivious, answered promptly. "Kage Bunshin, shadow clones. I learned it from the Forbidden Scroll of Seals. Why?"

It was a shame that his conscious mind wasn't able to catch what he'd just said in time, because by the time he did, it was too late.

"_Naruto~"_ Kushina said, her voice laced with rage as she slowly cracked each of her knuckles.

Naruto paled at the sight. "Uh-oh."

Han'ishiki watched as Kushina started throttling Naruto, yelling about how he was far too young to be learning forbidden techniques like that, with a nearly invisible bemused look. **:: Well what do you know? The popcorn I packed didn't go to waste after all. It must be my lucky day::** He popped a few pieces of popcorn into his mouth that he'd gotten from…somewhere, watching as Kushina switched to a choke hold. He looked at Hinata from the corner of his eyes, noting her unease. He sighed, offering the bowl of popcorn to her. **:: Popcorn?::**

Hinata blinked, slowly reaching out and grabbing a few pieces. Han'ishiki leaned back silently, watching Naruto was placed in an arm lock as Kushina yelled in his ear. He had a lot planned for the future, he just had to hope that Naruto got the hint. Glancing at Hinata, he nodded to himself. Naruto would have his eyes opened to this girl; he'd help make sure of that.

* * *

AN: Han'ishiki is a NaruHina fan…go figure. He's also very ADHD as many people believe Naruto is. He just more random. He _is_ Naruto's subconsciousness after all.

The first picture I described has actually been bugging me since I wrote the first chapter. Once I started writing, I _had_ to have it in my story. The other was just a bonus that's only half done.

Now, the "Chidori Theory" that I promised last chapter. Sasuke gets curse seal, Orochimaru threatens Kakashi, Kabuto threatens Sasuke and Kakashi, Kakashi petitions to teach him to protect himself, and that's how Sasuke learns Chidori. Simple, but it would make sense. I mean, Kakashi just taught him an A-ranked jutsu, just because he wanted to? That doesn't really sound like Kakashi. Plus, now there's fandom drama; Sasuke's not learning the Chidori during the Chunin Exams! I'll go over a bit of what he learns next chapter, along with playing a little keep away with Jiraiya.

Also, Ebisu and some of the mannerisms I'm using for him come partly from an awesome fic; Chunin Exam Day by _**Perfect Lionheart**_. The story seemed repetitive at first, but the humor hooked me 'till I caught up to where it's at now.

One last thing…just an FYI that I wanted to say really; I've got more subscribers than reviews right now! That is all.

Next chapter of Word of Honor; _Sweat and Blood._ Training and a spin on a few known techniques for two of our favorite characters; one of said techniques showing why it's considered forbidden.


	15. Sweat and Blood

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I'll think of something witty later.

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Word of Honor

_Chapter 15: Sweat and Blood_

After several moments of violent shaking and nearly losing his hearing, Naruto was finally sat down by Kushina and given yet _another_ lecture about not learning kinjutsu like that before he'd turned sixteen to give him time to grow. No amount of him attempting to explain what had led to him learning said technique could deter her from getting it into his head what he'd done wrong, no matter how naïve he'd been. It was only when Han'ishiki got bored of her lecture and threw his popcorn at Kushina that she finally broke off from her lecture to try yelling at him, only to freeze as Hinata looked up at her with a cute, innocent expression. Kushina would never know how Hinata had managed to get between them in that short second.

Losing steam thanks to the brief interlude, she turned to Naruto. "In short, don't_ ever_ do something like that again, have I made myself clear?"

"Crystal!" Naruto said, sitting ramrod straight at attention.

"Good." Kushina turned to Han'ishiki. "You have anything you want to add?"

**:: It took you long enough::** Han'ishiki said, dusting himself off as he stood. **:: In case you forgot Kushina-san, I remember everything that ever has happened to Naruto, even if he forgets it himself. I am by far the most valuable asset he will ever have in learning how to utilize the ****Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)****::**

"Why's that?" Naruto asked, glad that Kushina's rampage was over.

**:: You skimmed the scroll when you read it, and I remembered every detail that you didn't even realize you'd taken in. For example, your clones are capable of remembering what they do, and transferring that experience back to you. This means that if you were to spar with your clones, you'd be able to gain far more fighting experience than you normally would if you simply didn't attempt to dispel them all::** Han'ishiki explained, reveling in Kushina's heated gaze.

"…what?" Naruto asked, not getting the explanation at all.

Kushina growled at his answer knowing that it was mainly due to his lack of focus, and attention given to keep him in line. She felt guilty, but there were still things that she knew she could and couldn't do at the moment. For now, she would help teach him to grow up into a better person than he was now. Not that difficult to some, though when one added on his bloodline, it was far from easy to do.

Han'ishiki simply shook his head at Naruto's answer. **:: You know what? I already know how this will turn out. Forget trying to explain it, that will take too long and we'll be stuck here forever. Let's take a quick shortcut::**

Before Naruto could ask what he meant, Han'ishiki put his hand –which was glowing with an off white aura– on Naruto's head. A second later, a splitting migraine exploded from the center of his forehead making him tense up in pain. Throwing back his head, he let out a loud, pained cry. The only thing that held him up was the hand Han'ishiki had on his head, though it technically wasn't actually trying to hold him up.

In the corner, Hinata shivered at his screaming. Kushina patted her on the head, knowing that it would take a moment before it was over. Watching Hinata though, she couldn't help but smile at the way she reacted. It was good to see that the young girl would understand that Naruto needed to go through some things on his own, despite her own desire to run to him and help. She sigh at the nostalgia she felt as she watched Naruto, still screaming in pain, as she remembered when she'd had to go through a rather similar process.

After a moment, the pain began to subside and Han'ishiki let Naruto go. He fell to his hands and knees, twitching as the nerves in his body felt like they were on fire. Naruto had never experienced anything like this before; both feeling painful, and yet sending a shiver of pleasure down his fingers. Touching his forehead he felt his eyes widen as he turned to Han'ishiki. "My clones can do stuff like that?"

Han'ishiki nodded. **:: I apologize for the pain but forcing your to remember something you'd forgotten, even if I'm a part of you, is difficult and painful to experience::**

Naruto nodded, not quite hearing him. His mind was going over what he'd absently read in the scroll and what it meant. "Wait…so, I could send them to read all of the books in the library, and then I'd remember everything that they'd read?" Naruto asked, grinning from ear to ear at the idea of adding techniques to his epically small amount of jutsu's.

Regrettably, Han'ishiki shook his head. **:: I said experience, Naruto. Not information, **_**experience**_**::**

"What's the difference?" Naruto grimaced as he tried to figure out what that meant.

Han'ishiki glanced to Kushina, who shrugged. "Why are you looking at me? I don't know how to explain that any better than you do."

Han'ishiki shrugged. **:: Plan B it is then::**

He reached his hand forward, prepared to force information back into Naruto's brain again. Naruto, not quite ready to go through that again, backed away from him again. "Uh-uh, you are NOT doing that again!"

Han'ishiki nodded, pulling away from Naruto. **:: I understand. However, I don't know how to explain the…::** he trailed off, an idea coming to him from Naruto's own memories. **:: Hm, okay. How about this? You learned the ****Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** **from the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing, right?::**

"Right."

**:: But you then had to practice the technique for several hours before you could actually use the technique. Right?::**

Naruto nodded. "Yeah."

**::That is the difference::**

Naruto frowned as he tried to wrap his head around the concept. "So, information is like reading from a scroll…and experience is actually doing what's in the scroll?"

"That's…actually a good explanation." Kushina said, mulling over how easy that had actually turned out to be. "Which means, if you had a bunch of clones learning the water walking technique, and they dispelled, you'd be able get all that experience back, and be able to walk on water for yourself. What you could do in two days, you and one clone could do in one. That will be something to look into using for later training."

Naruto blinked. "Wait, water walking? You mean like what Kakashi and Zabuza did when they first fought?"

"Um, yes?"

"I can learn that?" Naruto asked, jumping up and down with a large grin on his face. "Teach me! Teach me!"

Han'ishiki held up a finger, quickly quelling Naruto's eagerness. **:: One quick rule before you leave; no more than ten clones at a time::**

"Isn't the point of teaching me what I can do with my shadow clones to encourage _more_ shadow clones?" Naruto asked, confused on the matter.

Han'ishiki shook his head. **:: The recoil of experience would begin proving to be too much for even you to handle as you are now. Unless you wish to hunt down someone who could potentially fix what Orochimaru did to you, you should only do ten clones at a time::**

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Who?"

Despite his ever calm demeanor, Naruto was pretty sure he saw Han'ishiki twitch his eyebrow in aggravation. His eyes widened as Han'ishiki raised a glowing hand again. **:: I like Plan B, let's go with that::**

Naruto yelped, diving behind Kushina and Hinata for protection. "Alright! Ten clones only, I get it!"

**:: I'm so glad we could come to a peaceful understanding::** Han'ishiki said, giving him a sarcastic looking thumbs up. **:: If you master water walking, Kushina and I will each teach you a technique to use against Neji::**

Naruto looked at Kushina who shrugged. "I guess it wouldn't hurt. I'd teach you the technique at some point anyways, so I'll just have to figure out which one you're good to learn now."

Naruto gave a whoop of joy as Han'ishiki scoffed. **:: Which one he's 'good enough' to learn? He won't learn any of them if you don't give him something that at least looks challenging. After all, he already has one technique that should be far to difficult to know, why not teach him a few more?::**

Kushina rolled her eyes. "Down Han'ishiki, reign in your inner pyro. Besides, we'll burn that bridge when we cross it." Noting Han'ishiki looking suddenly much brighter, Kushina flicked him on the forehead. "No, not literally. Seriously, why are you channeling Naruto's inner pyro _now_ of all times? *sigh* Look, Naruto needs to know how to do the water walking exercise, so if you don't mind; I'll be sending him out."

"Huh?" Naruto said as he peaking out from behind Kushina and Hinata, completely lost from the very random conversation they'd been having. Before he could react, Kushina whipped around and slammed a glowing hand into Naruto's forehead, forcing him out of his mindscape and back into reality.

Rolling onto his back, he shot to his feet with rage. "OW! Why'd you do that? Oh, the pain…"

Noting that he was back by the waterfall, he cursed Han'ishiki and Kushina for forcing him to learn that way. Falling to his knees as a new wave of information came to him, he cursed them again. As the information began to set in though, he paused in thought. The information was…informative, but more importantly it explained with plenty of details on how it would help him get stronger. Looking up at the surface of the water, he grinned. It seemed easy enough to do. Taking a step forward, he began his water walking training.

**-xxxxx-**

Sasuke panted, unsure if he was actually safe for the moment. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Ebisu was missing from the area that he'd once been, obviously out hunting him. Cursing under his breath, he took stock of what he'd seen Ebisu use in the training exercise so far.

"Kawarimi, Bunshin, and Henge." Sasuke said, counting off the techniques on his fingers. Grimacing, he shook his head. "Only using the basic three and he's destroying me! How am I supposed to learn anything from what he's using?"

He remembered some of the rather crafty methods Ebisu had used in an attempt to trick him using those three techniques, and just how many times he'd actually come close to being caught by the odd combo's Ebisu had used. Had it not been for him using his Sharingan at just the right moments, he'd have lost already. Even then, the man was just playing with him and showing just how skilled of a jonin he was by hiding in plain sight like that. Sometimes literally.

"…wait a second."

Thinking on that, and then back on the transformation technique, he looked back at the clearing with his Sharingan active. Despite how pointless the action felt, he was almost immediately rewarded with a chakra signature leaning casually against a tree. As soon as he saw it, the transformation was dropped and Ebisu stepped forwards. "Good. Now you're thinking like a chunin. The things in plain sight can be used for far more than simply to hide behind, like to hide in plain sight."

Sasuke scowled, preparing to use the Uchiha clan's signature technique; the Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Grand Fireball Technique). As he got halfway through, he froze, remembering the rule Ebisu had placed on using his techniques. _'You are to outwit me by using only your intellect, your cunning, the weapons you currently have on you, and the basic three. If you use any other technique, you will have admitted defeat, and your training will only become harder.'_

"Oh yeah, and this is a walk in the park." He cursed under his breath as he threw a batch of kunai at Ebisu. He already knew what would happen, it was just momentarily satisfying to watch at times.

The kunai struck Ebisu at high speed, blood coming from each kunai strike. His mouth was agape in ever mocking horror, as he fell to the ground. Sasuke watched the body coldly, his Sharingan already telling him what he needed to know. Sure enough, after a moment, the body erupted into a cloud of smoke.

"Better, but you're still too distracted."

Sasuke whirled around in surprise, Ebisu's fist slamming into his turn face. He rocked backwards, wincing in pain as his head crashed into a nearby tree. He fell from his branch, barely catching the tree with enough chakra to slow his decent to the ground. As he reached the ground again, he rolled to his feet, his eyes darted around for his once again missing assailant.

"I have been called Konohagakure no Shinkirou (Mirage of the Hidden Leaf) for the versatile way I can use these three techniques." Ebisu said, leaning against the branch above Sasuke. "Were you not able to see chakra, and had you not seen some of my combo's previously, you would've easily been caught by several of my traps. As impressive as you are, you still have much to learn."

Sasuke nodded. "Yes Ebisu-sensei."

With a loud roar, Sasuke created a group of clones and rushed Ebisu. He'd started falling behind Naruto, which was absolutely unacceptable. He needed to train harder, and become strong enough to beat Naruto, and anyone else in the exams. Gaara being the first, and currently one of the most dangerous. He'd seen the fight and he was just as eager as he was nervous, which just meant that this training was all the more important.

And he wasn't planning on losing.

**-xxxxx-**

Kakashi knew that he'd be here, and was oddly disappointed that it had been so easy to find the man. Said man was considered a spy master, one of the legendary Sannin, and one of the Sandaime's former students. Yet here he stood, staring at the giggling white haired man in front of him. Were it not for the fact that he knew who this person was really well, he might've thought him to be just another guy peaking into the woman's part of the hot springs. He saw nothing wrong with it, though it was likely to backfire on those who did follow similar activities; by comparison, his own techniques seemed actually smarter. But this man was more than just some peeper, he was the legendary Jiraiya a more powerful shinobi than he appeared, and the person he was seeking at the moment. After all, spy master or not, there were always things that people missed and Kakashi had one of the more important things that Jiraiya would want to know.

"Hello, Jiraiya-sama." Kakashi said, drawing the man's attention away from the unclad women on the other side, if only a moment.

Jiraiya sighed, not turning from the hole in the fence. "What do you want Kakashi?"

Kakashi shrugged, not caring that he couldn't see it. "I was in the neighborhood, and was wondering if you wanted to hear how Naruto was doing."

"The Sandaime sends me annual reports." Jiraiya answered, still not looking away from the hole.

Kakashi nodded. It would make sense that with Jiraiya's period of absence, and no hunter-nin going after him, he'd have had contact with the Sandaime. Unfortunately, said man was not nearly as informed as he thought he was; his decision for the first round of the Chunin Exam was evident enough to tell him that. "So, he knows all about Naruto's bloodline?"

Jiraiya looked over his shoulder, his eyes obviously wide in confusion. "I'm sorry, I'm going deaf in my old age…what did you say?" He fully turned to Kakashi, his eyes narrowing. "How do _you_ know about Naruto's bloodline?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I knew Kushina pretty well. She told me more than a few bits and pieces of what her bloodline can do, and what to help her look for when any of her kids activated said bloodline. She only had one kid, so it wasn't hard to keep my eye on him."

Jiraiya quickly stood up, fully turning to Kakashi with a hardened gaze. "Unless you are going to just try and pull my chain with reminiscing on the 'good old days', explain what you mean."

Kakashi nodded. "Yes sir. I've always kept a watchful eye on Naruto, so I was able to notice when Naruto started acting weird. More importantly, I've gone over everything I know, and have figured out exactly when he first activated his bloodline. I've also noted that there may be some…damages due to said bloodline."

Jiraiya nodded, his gaze grave. "I see. Tell me everything."

**-xxxxx-**

(Three Day's Later)

Naruto panted lightly dodging to his left as a wild hook brushed past his cheek. He felt himself sink slightly into the surface of the water, but was able to quickly change how he was channeling his chakra to push himself back on top and deliver a powerful kick to his opponent's stomach.

Said opponent doubled over in pain, stumbling back before disappearing into a puff of smoke. Naruto grimaced as he felt the experience of his clone, noting absentmindedly that he didn't sink into the water when his clone dispersed. "Ha, I'm getting better at that."

"So am I!"

Naruto stuck his tongue out at his final clone, who attempted to slam Naruto into the water with his foot. Rolling out of the way, Naruto pushed himself onto all fours to get a better grip on the water and propel himself forward to tackle his clone. Rolling around on the surface of the water, Naruto managed to place his feet between himself and the clone to force him off of him and into the nearby rock wall. The clone didn't stand a chance as he smashed into said wall.

With an overdramatic sigh and groan of frustration, Naruto picked himself up. He'd learned to walk on water really quick considering how horrible his control usually was. After spending the entirety of his first day shakily walking on the surface of the water, he'd created some clones to begin fighting the next day. And that's what he'd been doing for the last two days; fighting his clones on the water.

So far he'd been doing pretty good for only making ten clones at a time. However, with the information on getting more experience from making more clones, he wanted to know just how powerful he'd become by making more than ten. Say, a couple hundred?

Mulling it over and deciding to disregard what Han'ishiki had said, weird punishment in the back of his mind, he placed his hands into a familiar cross shaped seal. "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Mass Shadow Clone Technique)!"

The surface of the water was covered in a cloud of smoke as several hundred copies of Naruto appeared. They all knew what Naruto wanted to do, and most were rolling their shoulders in anticipation. This was going to be a rumble the likes of which no one had seen in a long, long time.

Naruto raised his hand, bringing it down in a 'start' motion. "Let's rumble!"

**-xxxxx-**

Sasuke sat in front of Ebisu, who had a scroll laid between them. He glared at the scroll, wondering just how this would help him. From what he could see, it was just your average chakra control scroll.

Ebisu noticed his confusion and scowled. "Pay attention, this is important!"

Sasuke shook his head, reading over the scroll again. "I still don't see how this will help me. I mean, it looks like it's just another tree climbing exercise."

"It _is_ the tree climbing exercise, it's just another variation." Ebisu explained. When Sasuke looked up curiously, he explained. "The normal tree climbing exercise is simply sticking yourself to a tree and walking on it. This is doing that as well, only you're doing a handstand and keeping an object off of your feet."

"And that'll help me how?"

"By learning to reject an object, you can use that to catch bladed objects, or learn to force away some of your opponents techniques to a certain extent." Ebisu said, nodding to himself as he knelt down and pointed to the scroll. "See here? This is depicting an actual time I had to use it as a genin to repel a mercenary's sword to prevent him from cutting of my arm."

Sasuke had to admit the drawing was well done, and the explanation was just as good. Plus, if he did it right, he could repel blades. That would prove to be pretty useful considering that some might be poisoned and keeping them from cutting him would be in his best interest. Add to that keeping senbon from making him look like a living human voodoo doll like Haku had, and he was dead set on learning this variation of the tree walking exercise.

"When do we get started?" He asked. Ebisu himself grinned, glad to see that he was beginning to get through to the usually stubborn genius.

**-xxxxx-**

(Naruto: Several hours later)

Gasping for breath, Naruto stumbled slightly as he attempted to dodge his clones attack. While they were slowing down too, they didn't act like they were feeling the same dizzy feeling that he was. He numbly noticed that his clone had hit him upside his head, and scowled as he reeled back. "Why are you always aiming for my face damn it?"

Grabbing the offending hand by the wrist, he pulled his clone in and struck him heavily in the gut. Growling as the clone didn't simply dispel, he reared his hand back and struck at his face. His clones head snapped back sharply, still not dispelling just yet. But with his firm grip on its wrist, that wasn't a problem.

The clone stumbled back, taking Naruto with him. Using his grip and the forward motion, Naruto pulled himself into the air and pulled his knee back to his chest. Before his clone could regain its balance, he slammed his foot into its face with a side kick that managed to finally cause the clone to dispel.

Naruto grunted, falling onto the surface of the water heavily. While he could still use his chakra to stay afloat, his focus wasn't what it had been when he'd started. He stared down at the water, his vision going in and out as he attempted to push himself back up. He grimaced as a small bead of sweat got into his eyes again, his world momentarily turning red. Stumbling back, he wiped his hand across his forehead to remove excess sweat, only to freeze as he noticed his hand.

He'd been fighting for several hours now, and had taken his fair share of hits. Now though, as he stared at his hand, he tried to remember if any of his clones had cut him. Because dripping from the back of his hand was a thin trail of blood.

"Well that can't be right." He muttered, his vision getting slightly worse as he swayed from side to side. Being in the shallow end of the waterfall area, he allowed himself to sink slightly into the water. Watching curiously, he watched as a bead of sweat rolled down his chin and dropped to the pool at his feet, staining the water in a slightly red color for a moment before it was washed away.

Before he could do anything else, his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he felt another clone disperse. He heard two shouts of his name, absentmindedly wondering why they seemed so far away, before his world became dark.

The two shouts came from his last two clones standing. Both had taken out their opposing clones when they heard Naruto collapse. Instead of engaging each other, they'd rushed over and quickly pulled the original Naruto from the water. Shallow or not, Naruto drowning would be the end of them.

"What happened?" The first clone asked, pulling one of Naruto's arms over his shoulder to help steady him out of the water.

"I don't know. One second he's fighting, the next he passes out." He frowned in thought. "Maybe he's going into ramen withdrawal?"

The first clone rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hm, ramen withdrawal? That would kinda make sense. I mean, the boss hasn't had ramen since he started fighting."

"Yeah, that would make sense!"

A third voice cut them off, making them both snap their heads away from one another. "Naruto? Oi, gaki where are you?"

Their eyes narrowed at the newcomer. He had long white hair, red tear-like marks running down from both eyes, and a large scroll on his back. Knowing that Naruto didn't know this guy, and not wanting to chance him doing something, the two clones began backing away with Naruto.

The man seemed startled by their action, noticing their presence for the first time. "Hey wait!"

"Move!" The second clone shouted, throwing Naruto's other arm over his shoulder. With a quick application of the tree climbing exercise, they blasted away from the clearing, leaving the mysterious man to chase after them.

Jiraiya watched as the two clones carried Naruto away, feeling a twinge of guilt welling up inside him. He hadn't been there for Naruto, and because of that Naruto hadn't recognized him when he came to talk. He'd had good reason to not be in Konoha while he was growing up, but no amount of excusing himself would make him feel better about leaving Naruto like that. Especially considering the wild, frightened look both of his clones had before they'd left.

With a heavy sigh, he slowly turned back towards Konoha. Kakashi had warned him that Naruto would not understand why he was their, and –trusting or not– it wasn't likely he'd just let some random person approach him in the forests. Shaking his head, he headed back to Kakashi. He'd let Kakashi make the introduction later, where there was someone familiar to help keep him from just bolting away. If what he'd seen was right, then Naruto should be fine. He had one of the best teachers anyone could give him.

In a clearing quite a ways away, the Naruto clones took a step away from Naruto, both of their faces wide eyed in shock. After fleeing from the mysterious person who'd snuck up on their training, they'd began looking over Naruto to try and figure out what was wrong with him so he could defend himself in case the guy tried following them. Since they didn't have ramen to try and revive him with, they figured that they should take his spandex off and see if the suit was too constricting and he'd just passed out from lack of blood loss. When they'd peeled said suit away, they'd come across something they'd never seen before.

Naruto's body was covered in bruises, and blood. The bruises were normal, though both clones were pretty sure that some of them were a few days old which was odd considering they'd usually be healed by now.. The blood however, was even less normal than the bruises.

The first clone bent down, staring closer at Naruto's bleeding chest. "It looks like...he's sweating blood."

The second clone nodded, not sure of what to do. "How? What did boss do that could've made him _sweat blood_? I mean, is that even possible?"

"Do I look like a doctor?" The first said, running his fingers over the blood dripping down his forehead. "Is boss gonna die?"

The second clone made to smack the back of his head before pausing, shaking his head in exasperation. "We're still here right? That means he's just, uh, sick!" He placed his palm on Naruto's forehead. "See? His head's hot like he's got –"

**:: Testing, one two three. Testing::**

"WAH!"

"What? What happened?" The first clone asked, his eyes wide as he looked at the panicking second clone.

"I just heard Han-san!" The second clone said, grinning widely as he placed his hand on the original Naruto's head. "Han-san, can you hear me?"

**:: Loud and clear baka. What happened?::**

"Well, we were training and Naruto kinda passed out on us." The second clone said as the first hesitantly placed his hand on Naruto's forehead.

**:: I see. By happenstance, would Naruto happen to be, oh I don't know, sweating blood?::**

"I don't know what that big word meant, but yeah, he is." The second clone said as the first leaned closer, amazed by this new discovery.

**:: That's what I was afraid of. Alright listen, Naruto is experiencing one of the side effects of creating too many shadow clones at once. You need to get him to a hospital soon::**

The first clone decided to speak, not wanting to feel left out. "What happened?"

Han'ishiki sighed, already knowing that he was going to have to repeat this again to the original Naruto since these two were just clones. **:: Like I said, it's a side effect of the jutsu. Despite what some people may say Naruto has a **_**lot**_** of chakra, but no more than some other jonin at the moment. So can you guess why they aren't using this method?::**

The second clone shrugged. "Uh, they don't know about the 'get experience' thing?"

The first clone shook his head. "Baka, if they know how to make shadow clones, they probably had more time to read it than we did. It's probably because of this side effect that Naruto's going through."

**:: Correct. What Naruto's experiencing right now is what is referred to as a chakra rebound. Shadow clones are unlike normal clones, which are illusions, mainly due to the fact that they are solid. When they are dispelled, the yin chakra transfers the experience back to the user. If Fuzzbutt weren't cut off from Naruto, he wouldn't have to worry about what's going on right now::**

"Fuzzbutt?" the second asked.  
"Shh!"

**:: Because it's cut off though, the yang chakra is coming back too. When the yang chakra transfers the experience back, it puts more stress in the area that the clone was damaged in. For an Uzumaki, making a dozen clones at a time is no sweat without them having to fear of getting damaged. For a normal person, making three at a time would prove to be pushing the limit at times. And Naruto made…how many?::**

"Couple hundred?" The second said, somewhat unsure. The first just shrugged, since he hadn't been keeping track either.

**:: …Kushina told me to tell you that if Naruto does something like that again, she'll…:** He seemed to pause, as though listening to the threat. **:: Are you sure you want to threaten him like that? That seems pretty harsh for a simple mistake for something that was technically my bad…technically::**

Both clones looked at one another in confusion before looking back down at Naruto. "How?"

**:: When I transferred the memories from the scroll to him, I didn't know there was a limit to the knowledge I could force back into his mind. It wasn't until I felt Naruto creating the clones that I realized that he hadn't gotten all the information. When Kushina did it after I had, he got all of the information because she's **_**supposed**_ **to teach like that, to ensure that other techniques won't get out by some idiot overhearing the training. It's part of the Uzumaki hijutsu::**

"Part of the what?"

**:: It's a long story that we'll tell later. For now, take care of Naruto. Oh, and tell him congratulations on learning to walk on water, and to come in when he wakes up. Kushina and I need to keep our promise to him…after Kushina beats him up::**

Both winced at that comment, looking at each other with distressed looks. Naruto had only done what he'd figured would help him win. They couldn't blame Han'ishiki for the mistake, and one of them was going to have to tell Naruto.

Playing a quick game of Jan-Ken-Po (Rock-Paper-Scissors), the first clone grinned as his paper beat the second's rock. A second later, the second clone had his fist through his head, grimacing as the experience came back. "Paper beats rock…right."

It was going to be a long, long month.

* * *

AN: Yeah, how many people have taken this route before? I didn't think so. I mean really, sweating blood? How many other people would have that? Especially since that's pretty bad to have happening in the middle of battle. Plus, it explains why no one else uses the technique nearly as extensively as Naruto does in the manga or anime. The only reason it's happening to him now is because Kyuubi (Fuzzbutt) is still sealed off from him. Another plot bunny to watch!

Plus, the Henge being used as a camouflage technique? That's crafty. And may be used later in the story. *wink wink*

Naruto will learn two techniques that will help him dominate in his next two fights, but you won't find out what they are until later. Han'ishiki's technique should be pretty obvious if you think about it though.

Next time on Word of Honor; _Path of Awareness._ It's a week before the finals, and Naruto gets stuck on a thought that leads him to somewhere he hates to go.


	16. Path of Awareness

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I own this little tidbit of knowledge that I can share! Apparently there's a limit to the number of documents you can upload at a time. Huh, who knew?

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Word of Honor

_Chapter 16: Path of Awareness_

(1 Week to Finals)

"I see, so we've come to an accord?"

Kabuto smirked, pushing his glasses to hide his eyes. "Yes Izo-san, I think Orochimaru-sama will agree with the terms of your proposition. Provided, of course, that you uphold your own end of the agreement."

"As I have already said, it is no concern of mine if Orochimaru learns this technique." Izo said, shrugging his shoulders from within the shadows. "I just want the scroll you promised your master would give in return."

Kabuto bowed to the man, a small gleam of respect in his eyes. After all, making a deal with someone to get what he wanted was not what Orochimaru normally did. "Of course. We will deliver on the day of the finals. There should only be a few eyes watching then, and the transaction will be taking place away from wandering eyes as it is."

Izo nodded. "Then go and tell your master. We'll be waiting for your arrival."

Kabuto grinned as he walked away, his glasses gleaming in the dim light of Izo's underground facility. _'Truly, he is just as cunning as Orochimaru-sama. But then again, Orochimaru-sama is far stronger than he currently is. At one point he may have been a giant in the shinobi world, but now all he is left with the fires that he flamed during the wars.'_ He pushed his glasses up again, allowing the light to hide his eyes. _'Then again, the technique he learned is truly frightening. If he has been using it the way it sounds like he has, then he is far stronger than he has let on.'_

Izo watched Kabuto go, drumming his fingers on his chair in irritation. "Tadao, are you just going to stand there, or are you going to come out now?"

There was a momentary silence, before Tadao stepped out from behind one of the pillars. His monkey mask still had the smiling face, but the aura around him was heavy. "Izo-sensei."

"What is your opinion of the situation?" Izo asked, drumming his fingers faster against the armrest. Tadao's presence, though normally quite useful, had been quite annoying.

"I don't trust him." Tadao replied immediately, turning to where Kabuto had disappeared to. "There is just too much going on at the moment to be coincidental."

"Of course not." There was an annoyed grunt. "Why are you asking? You already know what I'm thinking."

"Yes, but I want to hear you say it." Tadao replied, his eyes never leaving Izo.

"Fine then. The war will provide excellent cover for our operations move to secure the scroll that Orochimaru will give me." A pause. "Giving up the first technique I created will be for the greater good of my team. After all, the technique we'll get in return will be more than worth it."

"You're being surprisingly tight-lipped about which particular technique you're giving up." Tadao said, crossing his arms as he looked Izo down. "You haven't given away anything, even to me. I thought I was your most trusted pupil?"

Izo laughed, his voice reverberating through the empty tunnels. "You _are_. However, you have shown that you are following a different path than the one I'm bound to take. Therefore, you have no purpose knowing what I have planned." He raised a finger, jabbing it towards Tadao sharply. "Remember, you are not my only pupil. Should you prove to be a liability…well, you've seen what your associates can do, and how ruthless can be. More importantly, you know how ruthless _I_ can be. Especially when I have been angered."

Tadao flinched slightly at the comment, knowing the threat was only too real. Bowing to his sensei, he backed into the shadows again. "Yes…sensei."

**-xxxxx-**

Naruto grinned as he spun through the team of clones he'd made. He'd never felt so much at once before, and the only thing that was currently holding his clones back from being completely obliterated by his attack was the teamwork he'd been building up with them. Both their amazingly coordinated attacking skills and his new jutsu were shaping him up to be quite the force to be reckoned with.

It had taken several days before he'd been able to convince Kushina that he would follow their rules and instruction to the letter from now on. He'd actually managed to convince her on the first day; she just warned him that she wouldn't teach him until he'd gotten enough rest to begin training again. After all, pushing himself and losing the amount of blood he had, Uzumaki or not, put a lot of strain on a person.

Han'ishiki on the other hand, was much more willing to teach Naruto the technique he'd promised. It was still as painful as before, but Naruto had been more willing to bear the pain seeing as he pretty much deserved it by that point. He'd felt bad though when he'd realized just how awesome the technique was.

He'd felt even worse when he'd learned Kushina's technique. The feeling for both had lasted for maybe an hour before messing with the techniques had gotten him into the spirit of his training again and he'd jumped back into it with both feet and a whoop of joy.

Ducking under another clones attempt to kick him in the head, he brought his foot into his chest before launching it out in a side kick to take him out. Before his foot connected, the clone behind the first gripped the first clone's jacket and yanked him away from Naruto's assault. The third leapt over the first in an attempt to catch him off guard by essentially falling on him. Focusing on the third clone, he turned his kick into a spin that placed him in a handstand, with both feet posed to deal a quick blow.

The clone didn't have a chance to widen his eyes before Naruto sent a charge of chakra through the clone that made it spasm slightly before the strike heavily struck and dispelled it. The other two shouted indignantly at Naruto's attack before backpedaling swiftly to get away from Naruto as he flipped back to his feet. Naruto smirked, whipping a pair of kunai at the two. Neither stood a chance, still in a backwards motion and to far away to help the other. With a sharp cry, both clone's existences were cut short as the knife ran through them.

Sighing as he settled down, releasing the chakra needed to fuel Kushina's technique. For anyone else, it would probably last someone his age maybe ten minutes, but with his elevated chakra levels, he was capable of using it for over an hour with shadow clones before he needed a break. It was perfect for a chakra monster like him, and it was easily the easiest and most difficult technique he'd ever learned. Easiest in learning the technique; difficult, in learning to use it properly.

Flexing his hand experimentally, he sighed as he noted a slight shiver in his hands. "I guess it still need some work."  
Setting himself down at the base of a nearby tree, he sighed in content. He'd thought about opening the odd scroll that had been left in his room, but decided against it for the time being. While it had been odd to suddenly find a scroll that had several other chakra control exercises that had dramatically helped in learning to use Kushina's technique. If he hadn't had the control, he didn't want to know what may have happened.

He'd had to desert his previous training area, and he'd wanted to go back at some point. However, the thought of the man finding him again kept him moving from training sight from day to day, constantly keeping on his toes. Kushina had approved of his constant moving, saying that with the techniques he was learning, there was no telling what kind of people would try and follow him. Whether it was to tell his opponents what he was learning to give them an edge, or to find a time when he was vulnerable to grab him, he needed to make sure he wasn't followed period.

Despite the warnings though, he still pushed himself to train as hard as he could. If he didn't keep pushing himself as hard as he could, he wouldn't be able to catch up to and overcome Neji. He scowled at the thought of his upcoming opponent.

'_Come to think of it, I haven't taken any time off to visit Hinata.'_ Naruto thought. Admittedly, he felt like he'd seen her every day due to having the Hinata in his head, however, he'd quickly come to the realization that the Hinata in his head wasn't exactly the same as Hinata. The biggest difference being that while Hinata was usually quiet, the Hinata in his head never spoke a word.

In fact, during the visits to his mindscape, he'd found that even when he talked incessantly, Hinata always looked like she was listening with rapt attention. He'd actually tested this theory by talking only about ramen for over an hour one day; the different flavors, his favorite visits to Ichiraku, and about the two cooks who worked there. Even after he'd run out of stuff to say about ramen and had apologized for wasting her time, Hinata still seemed to look like she was listening intently. He'd never imagined that there would be someone who would take so much interest into the little things in his life.

He'd also found out that the spandex didn't help much. When he first entered his mindscape, he'd be wearing only the spandex. Hinata had quickly shown that she couldn't look at him, and would turn away throughout the whole talk. He'd added his jumpsuit as an after thought one day, Hinata had been able to look at him. Not eye contact, but it was an improvement.

"Man, I really should go see her." He muttered to himself, frowning in thought. "Then again, I'm not even sure if she wants to see me."

The sound of the forest around him was all he heard in response. Leaning against the tree, he took a deep breath, taking in the area around him. It was so calm, so peaceful.

Yet he couldn't stop thinking about Hinata.

He tried to put all thoughts out of his mind, to let himself relax from the strenuous training he'd just gone through. Every time he thought that he'd found it, he began wondering if Hinata was bored in the hospital all by herself, if anyone was visiting her, if she was feeling better.

Finally giving in, he pushed himself to his feet. He felt the odd strain on his legs as he stood, knowing that he'd been pushing himself pretty hard. Maybe while he was there he could get himself checked up on. The new technique was pretty strenuous, and he needed to be at his best when he beat Neji.

Rolling his shoulders, he set out towards the hospital. As he walked, he thought about picking up some flowers or something to brighten her room, but decided against it. He had no desire to cross paths with Ino any time soon, and since the only flower shop he knew about was hers, he was _not_ going there.

"Maybe a card or something." He muttered as the village came into sight. Smiling at the thought, he thought of the fastest route to the hospital with a quick detour. The irony was not lost on him as he went forwards. The guy who was renown for escaping the hospital was now looking for the quickest path to the hospital.

**-xxxxx-**

Hinata sighed as she played with her sheets. She'd exhausted everything there was to do in the room the day before, and while her team had tried to keep her company as much as possible, Kurenai had jonin duties to take care of for the Chunin Exams, Shino was preparing for his own round, and Kiba was training. He'd been able to visit her the most, but was the person she wanted to see the least most of the time. Before she'd gone to fight Neji, Kiba had told her to forfeit the match. It had hurt her to hear that he didn't believe in her, though it hurt her more to know that she wasn't good enough to fight her cousin.

Now, with only the heart monitor to keep her company, she was bored. Being a Hyuuga, she'd had to go through some boring things before, but this was borderline cruel in her opinion. The only thing that was good at the moment was that the room wasn't completely white. Many different people had left flowers or other things for her.

'_Except Naruto-kun.'_ She thought. Despite how depressing it might have been for other people, the thought made her smile. Kurenai had told her what had happened after she'd been critically injured, and how Naruto had nearly attacked Neji in defending her despite her absence. It made her smiled at the thought that even though he didn't really know her, he was willing to stand up for her.

It was just one of the many things she liked about him. He was willing to stand up for the people who couldn't, to be the voice of the silent. It was a perfect analogy for her; the shy, dark girl who could barely talk to anyone without stuttering.

Laying back into her bed, she once again wished that Naruto would visit her. It wasn't really a hopeless wish, however it had proved it to be hopeless so far. After all, she was just the quiet, dark girl from the Chunin Exams; why would he come see her?

There was a gentle knock on her door, causing her to look to the door. "C-come in."

The door opened, and a nurse opened the door. "Ah, hello Hyuuga-san. You have a visitor."

Hinata smiled. "I see. Please let them in."

The nurse nodded, stepping away to reveal the person behind her. Said person gave Hinata a small smile. "Hello Hinata."

"Kurenai-sensei."

Kurenai walked into the room, a small bundle of flowers in the crook of her arm. "I figured that the flowers I left for you had wilted by now, and bought some more to help keep your room bright."

Hinata nodded, inwardly frowning at the darker shaded flowers Kurenai had chosen to bring her. She knew she'd told Kurenai that she liked the brighter colors that the other people had brought –they'd reminded her of Naruto– yet Kurenai had insisted on bringing the dark violet lilies. Granted, they were her favorite, she had a feeling that she was doing it on purpose. Why, she didn't know, but it made her feel uncomfortable at times.

As she replaced the flowers in the vase, she spoke gently. "So, how have you been?"

Hinata wrung her hands together. "Um, I've b-been doing alright."

"That's good to hear." Kurenai said, playing with the flowers to make them stand out more. "I heard the doctors saying that you'll be able to leave soon."

"Will I be out in time to see the finals?"

Kurenai paused at the question, grinding her teeth at the thought. "Possibly. You'd have to ask the doctors to know for sure." She turned back to her. "Why?"

Hinata tapped her fingers together, feeling uncharacteristically nervous. "I-I want to see N-N-Naruto-kun's fight."

Kurenai frowned at her answer, not liking that answer. "Why? Why do you want to watch Naruto's fight? Do you want see him fail?"

"No!" Hinata shouted, freezing as her heart monitor jumped. "I-I mean, he's not going to fail."

"How can you be sure Hinata? You saw his fight with Kiba. His fighting style is similar to Kiba's, and he's only beaten you at sparing because you can't use your fighting style without hurting him." Kurenai snapped. "Neji didn't hold back when he fought you, so what –"

"Sir, this is a hospital! You can't just go around like that!"

"Well if you just tell me what room she's in, I won't have to open every door looking for her!"

Both women turned to the door; one with sudden nervous anticipation, the other with thinly veiled contempt. A moment later, the door opened and Naruto popped his head inside. The nurse was soon to follow, grabbing him by his jacket to yank him out. Turning to the two women, she gave an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry for the intrusion. I'll get him –"

"Hinata!" Naruto yelled, noticing the girl in the bed. He turned to the nurse, struggling in her grip. "Let me go, this is the room I was looking for!"

"This room? You were looking for Hyuuga-san?" The nurse asked, obviously not believing his story.  
"Yes! Why is that so hard to understand?"

The nurse looked at the two women curiously. "I'm sorry, were you expecting him?"

Kurenai wanted nothing more to than to have him kicked out immediately, wanting him to stay as far away from Hinata as possible. Unfortunately, Hinata found an inopportune time to suddenly find her voice. "Y-yes!"

The nurse looked startled, but nodded. Releasing Naruto, she gave him one last look. "Please keep your voice down. People are recovering here, and they don't want to recover listening to the sound of your voice."

Naruto nodded, glad to have _finally _found Hinata's room. When he'd asked where Hinata's room was, for some reason, the nurses had told him he wasn't allowed. Something about needing to be on some 'allowed' list to be told where she was. Like he cared about little details like that; he'd come all the way to see Hinata, and that meant that he was going to see Hinata.

Kurenai hid her anger at Naruto by giving Hinata a smile. "Well, I'll just leave you two alone for the time being." She smiled, walking out the door, giving Naruto one last look.

As her back was turned to them, she quickly cast a genjutsu on herself to hide herself from their view. _'Like I'm going to leave Hinata alone with Naruto.'_

In the room, Naruto looked at Hinata with a twinge of regret. He'd been in the hospital a few times before, mainly on pranks gone wrong, but usually had been out pretty fast. Counting the days in his mind, he figured that she'd been in the hospital for over twenty-four days thus far. He'd have gone stir crazy by the end of the first hour.

"Uh, hey." Naruto said. Suddenly, this didn't seem like a good idea.

Hinata blushed, her own mind rushing at the realization of what was going on. _'Naruto-kun is visiting me! I, what do I, what do I say, what –"_

Naruto's head snapped to the monitor, noticing that the beeping had picked up speed. "Uh, Hinata?"

Hinata bit her lip, trying to slow her heart rate. Of all the times for her heart to rocket, it had to be when she was hooked up to a monitor that basically forced her to tell the truth, or at least told when she was feeling flustered.  
"Hinata, uh, dang it what was it Iruka said?" Naruto muttered, racking his mind for that long lost information.

Hinata understood what he was thinking of, and took slow, deep breath to calm herself. As the monitor returned to normal, she gave Naruto a small smile. "Hello Naruto-san. How are you?"

Naruto stared at the monitor for a moment before snapping back to Hinata. "Oh, I'm doing good. How…how are you?"

Hinata blushed. "I-I've been better."

Naruto nodded, feeling slightly nervous. He'd just been acting on the weird inability to stop thinking about Hinata, and now had no idea what to say. It didn't really help that he'd had no idea what he was going to talk about.

He brightened immediately as he remembered the card. "Ah! I got you a card. I figured that since most people get sick people flowers, a card would be better."

He pulled out the card, the surprisingly thoughtful gift catching both Hinata and Kurenai off guard. Hinata watched Naruto place the card on the table next to her, trying to keep calm despite how close he was now. "Th-thank you Naruto-kun."

Naruto grinned. "You're welcome." He looked at the flowers on the other side of the room. "Looks like I was right too. Go figure."

Hinata tapped her fingers together nervously. "Uh, N-Naruto-kun?" Naruto turned back to Hinata, causing her cheeks to flare up again. "I-is there any reason you wanted to see m-me?"

"Eh? Oh! Uh…I wanted to?" Naruto said, inwardly slapping his head at how lame he probably sounded. _'I wanted to? Really?'_

'_He wanted to see me?'_ Hinata thought, turning a very rosy red. It was something she'd never thought she'd have ever heard Naruto telling her, and it was happening now.

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Uh, hey. I have a quick question; Neji's your cousin right?"

Hinata felt her entire frame fall at that. _'Oh, he's just here to talk about Neji.'_ Slowly, she nodded.

Naruto frowned. "He's strong, right?"  
Hinata looked away, gripping her sheets tightly. "Y-yeah." She noticed from the corner of her eye that Naruto was looking away as well, his hands gripped together. Taking a deep breath, she pressed on. "B-but you might be able to beat him Naruto-kun. Because you…when you c-cheered me on…I-I felt like I got stronger. Since I've been recovering, I feel like…I'm able to b-be more like m-myself. Other people might not be able to tell that I changed…but I feel like I-I was able to change. It was th-thanks to you Naruto-kun…at least that's w-what I think."

Naruto shook his head with a scoff. "Thanks, but I'm not that great." He gave Hinata a small smile. "You were probably just that awesome to begin with."

In the corner Kurenai nearly choked on nothing. She'd expected, in classic Naruto fashion, for him to agree that Naruto was 'that awesome' and ignore anything Hinata said. Instead, he'd acted humbly, shrugging off the fact that his words and saying it was Hinata herself who was strong. She had to pinch herself to make sure she hadn't accidentally cast a genjutsu on herself when casting the invisibility jutsu.

Hinata's own mouth was slightly agape as she stared at Naruto in confusion. It dropped a bit more as Naruto continued. "When I was up in the stands, and Neji was badmouthing you, I just felt angry. If it had been me, I would have rushed him and tried to beat him up." He chuckled humorously. "A month ago, Neji would have wiped the floor with me with one hit.

"But you, you were different. You were scared of Neji, but were able to get past that and fight back. If he didn't do whatever he'd done to your arm, I bet you would have won too. And then, when you kept getting back up, you saw that Neji was in pain." Naruto scratched his head with a frown as he remembered that part of the fight. "Maybe I just couldn't see his face, but I didn't think he looked like he was in pain afterwards. He looked like a psycho who was really happy that you were hurt."

'_This…this is N-Naruto-kun?'_ Hinata asked herself, wondering how Naruto had realized all of this and seemingly changed in three weeks. It was like a new Naruto.

Naruto, for his part, was thanking his stars that he'd thought this over talking to Hinata in his mindscape. It would sound a lot worse if he was making it up as he went. "If you say he was hurting though, then I'll make him realize he was wrong. You…well, you're a plain looking, kinda dark girl…"

Hinata looked away, feeling slightly depressed by Naruto's words. Kurenai sat back, silently smirking at Naruto's words. _'Maybe now Hinata will realize that Naruto is no good for her.'_

"But," He continued, getting both listen intently. "You are also caring, really nice, and don't think only of yourself. You're really a lot stronger than a failure like me."

Hinata shook her head vigorously. "That's not true N-Naruto-kun. You are…whenever you fail, in my eyes you're a proud failure. You keep g-going, and I-I feel like I'm more confident in myself. Y-you're not perfect…but when you fail, y-you have the strength to get back up. Th-that's what I believe true strength is. I-I think that makes y-you an incredibly strong person Naruto-kun."

Naruto looked awestruck at Hinata, wondering how it was she was able to say that so easily. During the month of training, he'd admittedly felt a whole lot more confident in his ability to beat Neji with the techniques he'd learned. In the back of his mind though, there was a small, nagging doubt that he'd lose. Neji had more experience and skill than he did, and that definitely gave him an edge when they fought. What did he have? At one point, he may have been able to create an army of Kage Bunshin to swarm him, but he couldn't make more than ten without bad things happening.

When he'd come here, there hadn't been a particular reason; he'd just been following his gut instinct. Now though, looking at the girl in the hospital bed across from him, he realized that at some point, she'd changed from a plain, frail looking girl, to a determined, though still hesitant girl. She'd wiped the last traces of doubt from his mind, and made him focus his resolve to win further. For her, he'd win.

Smiling confidently, he chuckled. "Thank you Hinata."

In the corner, Kurenai looked on in confusion. It seemed to make sense that Naruto wasn't quite as confident as he acted, but to have seen him like this made her unsure of what to think. For a brief moment, he looked as fragile as Hinata was; at least, he did until Hinata spoke. Then, just like she'd seen in Hinata during the preliminaries, he looked far more resolved. Even Hinata looked more confident in herself as she'd spoken. It was confusing to watch.

A sudden knock on the door startled all three of the people in the room. "Hinata?"

As the door opened –for Naruto at least– the world slowed. Naruto knew that voice as well as he knew Sasuke's or Sakura's. His eyes widened as he turned to the door, already knowing who would be walking in.

Whipping his head to Hinata, he scrambled to get something out in the last moment he had. "I'm sorry I got to cut this short but I just remembered that I-I gotta go I'll try and see you before the finals bye!"

Not waiting for a reply, Naruto dove headfirst out the window. Both Hinata and Kurenai blinked in confusion towards the window, before turning back to the door. Standing in the doorway, also looking to the open window, was Yamanaka Ino.

Ino looked between Hinata and the window, a knowing smirk on her face. "Uh, hi?" She looked towards the window, raising an eyebrow at Hinata. "He did know that your on the fourth floor…right?"

Any other time, Hinata would have flushed in embarrassment and that would have been the end of it. However, this time, Naruto had been there. Groaning in frustration, Hinata leaned back. "Hello Ino-chan."

Ino tilted her head in confusion, noting the tone that Hinata used. It was odd to think of Hinata as the sort of person to get annoyed or frustrated. "Geez Hinata, I just came by to say hi and bring some flowers."

Hinata shook her head, drilled etiquette lessons taking over. "I apologize Ino-san. I'm just…not feeling well. I didn't mean to snap at you."

Ino shrugged. "No sweat." Setting her flowers on the table, she grinned impishly as she looked back to Hinata. "So~ you had a guy in here? Details!"

Hinata quickly snatched Naruto's card and hid it under her covers before Ino turned around. The last thing she needed was Ino seeing it and getting weird ideas from it. Unfortunately, she still had to deal with Ino trying to wrestle the information out of her until someone came to help her. It would be a while before Kurenai was able to slip out and rescue Hinata from Ino's clutches.

Even so, despite being cornered and interrogated, Hinata had never felt stronger.

**-xxxxx-**

Naruto panted as he bolted away from the hospital. This felt far more right to him, yet also pretty hollow. Running from the hospital? Good. Running from Hinata because Ino had shown up?…not so good.

Landing in the middle of the street, he quickly moved into the nearest shop to avoid the oncoming foot traffic. With all of the people coming in for the Chunin Exams, most places were really, really busy. The story he ducked in was no exception.

Rubbing his head in confusion, he looked around. It appeared to be some kind of clothing shop; one that specialized in shinobi-wear. There were sandals with blades sticking out of the sole, jackets that had blades popping out from the top portion of the sleeve, and miscellaneous commonplace items that had been craftily weaponized. Shivering at some of the interesting ways people had thought to hide weapons, he strolled through the racks of clothes.

After barely a moment, his eyes caught sight of the most amazing piece of material there. Taking it in his hand, he rubbed the material between experimentally. While it looked like it was just another piece of clothing, there was something odd in the material. Picking it up off the rack, he was surprised that it was slightly heavier than he'd expected. He rolled it between his fingers as he grinned widely at the coloration; dark orange with black patterning. Carrying it and the other piece that went with it, he carried them to the register.

"How much for these?" Naruto asked, placing both on the counter.

The man behind the counter looked tiredly at Naruto, scratching his head as he looked over the clothes. "Well, mesh lined clothes aren't really cheap, so let me check." He pulled out a thickly bound book, leafing through the pages until he found where it was in the book. "Ah, here it is. That'll be –"

"I'll pay for Naruto-san's stuff."  
Naruto leapt a foot in the air, glancing over his shoulder at the person behind him. The white haired man chuckled at his reaction placing a wad of cash on the counter. The man behind the counter stared at the money with wide eyes. "Sir, this is more than what the clothes cost."  
"I know. It's enough to pay for three pairs." The man said, waving his hand flippantly.

Naruto blinked, looking between the money and the man. "Uh, thanks?"

The man grinned. "No problem kid. Just consider this…a sponsorship."

"A what?"

"A sponsorship. It means I pay for some of your stuff, you make a name for yourself, and then I come to have you help me with other stuff. It's a win-win scenario for both of us." The man explained, a wide grin on his face.

Naruto's eyes widened as part of what he said clicked. "Wait, you're paying for my stuff?"

"Yeah. Go grab another two and head on out. You've got another week before the finals, and you're going to need to be at the top of your game if you're going to whip that Hyuuga boy."

Naruto grinned. "Yes sir!"

Naruto quickly grabbed up the clothes from the counter and ran off to grab two more before heading out. The only person that had ever really bought him anything had been the Sandaime, and that had been over two years ago. Now, with a new look, he'd totally blow everyone out of the water. _'I'm gonna look awesome!'_

Back at the counter, the employee stared at the man with wide eyes. "J-Jiraiya-sama, why did you do that?"

Jiraiya turned to the man, a wide grin on his face. "I've missed out on a lot of stuff, but I'll be damned before I let that kid heads out into the finals without giving him something." Glancing at Naruto's happily skipping form, his smile turned more lecherous. "Besides, now he owes me. Which means I can use him as a distraction when I head out to do my 'research'. Him looking good will make him far more distracting to the lady folk."

The employee nodded, understanding the man's very one tracked mind. Blushing at a sudden thought, he reached beneath the counter and pulled out a red covered book. "Uh, Jiraiya-sama? Would you mind…?"

Jiraiya brightened, pulling out a pen from in his shirt. "Of course! I would never wish to disappoint a dedicated fan such as yourself. How did you like the recent volume?"

"Oh, it was great! I especially liked when Kyo entered the marathon, and was able to catch one of his female opponent's attention and take her to have a 'marathon' of their own."

Both giggled at the memory of that scene before Jiraiya signed his book and walked out. Looking at the Yondaime's face on the Hokage Monument, he gave his former pupil a thumbs up. "He's gonna knock 'em dead Minato. Just you watch."

* * *

AN: Spontaneous ending scene for the win! Yeah, I wanted Naruto to get a new outfit for the Chunin Exam's finals, and Jiraiya suddenly popped into my head begging to do something for Naruto. Turns out, it was a pretty good idea, considering future events that need to be manipulated. (Side note! The scene mentioned by Jiraiya and the employee was actually from a How I Met Your Mother episode. Don't remember which one, but figured I'd mention I don't own that either...just in case.) You'll see the entirety of his new outfit...later.

And, just because I know _someone_ will mention this; no, Jiraiya's not buying Naruto's love or anything like that. He's getting his attention to make sure Naruto will look for him unless he needs to do that himself. After all, I need the character development for certain characters that comes through the 'Hunt for Tsunade' thing. Plus, Naruto only followed after Jiraiya because he knocked out Ebisu with a giant toad. He didn't do that here, so I needed something to compensate for that.

There was no real mention of what Naruto was taught…which was totally the point (though there was a brief glimpse of Kushina's). I'm hiding Naruto's and Sasuke's skills for the time being, mainly due to the fact that their reveal will be during the exams, and will be _epic_ (or so I hope).

The NaruHina scene was a needed catalyst for something later, and Kurenai; mainly because I see her as the _way_ to overprotective type, and needed to give her a quickly knock down. Plus, it shows how Kushina and mindscape Hinata (silent though she is) have helped Naruto to mature a bit. He still has absolutely no tact, but that's to be expected of Naruto.

Also, just something I noticed. I looked through the manga (which I use as my source of info, not the anime), unless the touch was implied when Hinata gave Naruto the medical cream…Naruto and Hinata never touched in the manga. Sure, in the anime Naruto hugged Hinata, but in the manga? No physical contact whatsoever. It was odd to realize that, but I cannot find one moment of physical contact in the manga pre-timeskip.

Next time on Word of Honor; _Day of the Finals_. Taking care of those few important things before the first fight begins and Naruto kicks Neji's butt.


	17. Day of the Finals

Disclaimer: I wish I own Naruto. A franchise like that, with all the stress from thousand, maybe _millions_ of fans breathing down my neck…nah, leave it to Kishi. I just write fanfiction.

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Word of Honor

_Chapter 17: Day of the Finals_

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, looked over the different delegations of people who had come from near and far to see the finals of the Chunin Exams. The Kazekage himself had a procession leading him into the arena to see two of his children fight for their village. And through it all, he had to worry about the ever looming threat of his former student, Orochimaru, coming back to assault the village.

Were he any other shinobi, he would have pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily in frustration by now. However, he was not just some other normal shinobi. He was the _Shinobi no Kami_ (God of Shinobi); he'd lived through multiple wars, been placed into the position of Hokage _twice_, had to deal with the ever boring council meetings of a weekly basis, and had to worry about the Chunin Exams every time they were in Konoha. His wayward student was the least of his worries for the time being. Besides that, he'd found the one month reprieve to be helpful in loosening some of his rusted skill to ensure that he'd be ready for when he showed up.

Lighting his pipe, he took a quick, deep drag. "What is the status of the different competitors?"

Behind him an Anbu member stepped out from the shadows nearby, his porcelain white mask shaped like a ram's, and bowed to him. "Hokage-sama. According to the reports we've received, all but two competitors have arrived thus far."

Sarutobi blew a puff of smoke, thinking over the list of people who wouldn't arrive exactly on time. Ironically, the only two people he could think of were on the same team, with a chronically tardy sensei. "Naruto and Sasuke?"

"Yes Hokage-sama."

"I see." Sarutobi stroked his beard in thought. "Well, we can't send Anbu to make sure they make it here or not due to the way that they will be judged, so we'll have to wait and see if they'll make it in time. Thank you for your report."

"You're welcome Hokage-sama." The Anbu member said. Instead of leaving to perform his other duties though, he pulled out a letter. "Hokage-sama, I was asked to give this scroll to you by Jiraiya-sama. He said something about it being urgent, and to ask that you did nothing rash."

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow at the last statement, taking the letter from the Anbu member. _'What could Jiraiya have possibly sent me that would make him think I would react like that? Perhaps…but no, he wouldn't just cancel his series. Would he?'_

Opening the letter with a deliberate motion, he unfolded the paper slowly. His eyes darted across the generic messages that Jiraiya sent, glad for the secret codes that he'd developed over the years that had made reading the actual message along with the actual message quite fun. While anyone else would have found the letter by itself to be completely at odds with itself at times, Sarutobi knew where the key was. Looking down at the word before the signature, he nodded to himself.

"You're ever faithful, and dashingly handsome student." He muttered. Though an odd way to address anyone else's letter, it would sound normal even to those who knew Jiraiya. To Sarutobi it meant that the real message was written using every ninth syllable. That was a double code that meant the message was about Naruto.

Once again, Sarutobi had to admire his student's mind. Were he anyone else, he would have been unable to write a long message like this and keep it sounding right, while also adding the secret message. It was just further proof for him to see that at least one of his former students was making something good of himself. Going through the letter again, he nodded to himself as he read the real message.

As he got to the end, he nearly swallowed his pipe in shock. His eyes widened and he read the message two more times to be sure that he hadn't skipped something and gotten a different message. Gritting his teeth, he slowly folded the letter began to tap the folded letter against the palm of his hand.

According to the message, Naruto had activated his bloodline. In hindsight, he should have known that he'd activated it, seeing as he'd made a particularly powerful promise right in front of him. He'd just brushed it off at the time, figuring that it wouldn't hurt and that it would help shape Naruto into a better man; now he was certain that this would wound Naruto more than he could imagine. He crossed his arms, suddenly looking far graver than he'd been looking a moment before. Taking Jiraiya's warning into account, he had to worry that there was far more information he wasn't being told. He thought back to the Uzumaki's he'd known throughout his life, but came up with nothing. The Uzumaki's were twice as tightlipped and secretive about their bloodline and what it did than even the Uchiha or Hyuuga combined. The only people who would be able to tell him anything more would be another member of the Uzumaki clan, or Jiraiya. And Jiraiya was only due to the fact that he'd gotten rather close to Kushina, and she'd grown to trust him enough to tell him a few things he'd need to know. He'd asked before, but it turned out that Jiraiya had spent so much time around said Uzumaki he was unwilling to betray her trust.

And just like that, the 'God of Shinobi' felt like just another average man, trying to make the right choice. With a heavy sigh, he pinched the bridge of his nose and moved towards the end of the Kazekage's procession. After all, things like that could wait; the Kazekage couldn't be left waiting.

**-xxxxx-**

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?"

Danzo nodded solemnly as he looked to both of his companions. Homura and Koharu, Sarutobi's former teammates and his current councilors, looked on in worry. If what he'd obtained from his secret spy network was true, then their village was in more trouble than Sarutobi knew.

"So Ne (Root) was able to determine that Otogakure has formed an alliance with Sunagakure?" Homura asked, his fingers tapping away on his folded arms. Homura always was the nervous one of the team, which had helped make him more prone to sensing the hidden dangers in battle. It also helped give him a sharp wit when it came to the political sphere; something that made him invaluable when Sarutobi took office. Which mean that he knew better than Koharu what the full weight this attack could carry with it on Konoha to the people.

Koharu, the more militant side of the team, simply nodded. "So we know who are enemies are, and when they'll strike. Because you have this information, I'd assume you also have the information on where they will attack from. What's the plan for a counterstrike?" There was a pause, and Koharu looked between the two men besides her with a curious look. "We are staging a counterstrike, correct?"

"No, we are not." Danzo replied, tapping his cane against the ground lightly. "If we give away too much of the existence Ne to Sarutobi, we will compromise out positions, and make it impossible to continue to progress." His unbandaged eye narrowed slightly. "Also, when the fighting is over, we will need forces who are capable of fighting at full capacity to ensure that Konoha remains safe. The active shinobi will be worn from the upcoming war, and will be stretched thin trying to keep Konoha's status up in our mission intake."

Koharu grimaced, understanding how Danzo's idea would keep Konoha from being vulnerable, but not liking it one bit. Homura on the other hand frowned in thought. "But Danzo-san, why wouldn't we send some forces to help take out the initial forces? Wouldn't it prove beneficial to Konoha?"  
"I have complete faith in the forces Sarutobi has built up over his years in office." Danzo replied. "Despite their lack of Ne training, there are more than a few shinobi in Konoha who are quite powerful in their own right due to their own methods. They will be more than enough to keep Konoha from going under from this assault. Also, while Sunagakure is one of the five great hidden villages, they won't be able to bring all their forces down on us and Otogakure doesn't have enough forces to be much of a threat either at this current time."

Homura nodded, going over the facts. Otogakure was a newly founded village and was unlikely to have stronger forces than Konoha, while Suna's forces would unlikely be able to bring every member of its forces down upon Konoha. However, they would probably try to compensate for their numbers by bringing some –if not all– of their elites to the fight. Of course, Konoha had their own elites, and there were few that he knew of who could go toe to toe with them at their best.

As he thought that, another question popped up. "What about that new mercenary organization? I heard that they have more than a few powerful members, and if either village decides to hire them we might –"

"That won't be a problem." Danzo cut him off, his face still as impassive as ever. "Sunagakure is too proud to sink low enough to hire from some random mercenary. They will want to fight with their own two hands to settle the fight. And Otogakure, due to its leader, cannot ask them for assistance as they now stand."

Koharu and Homura nodded. After all, they knew that a matter of pride was never settled unless it was done by one's own two hands. Sunagakure, being one of the big hidden shinobi villages, would have that sort of pride in spades. Hiring an outside organization to help them? It would be like they were spitting on their honor as shinobi.

"So you see," Danzo continued. "The best course of action is to do nothing for the time being. Konoha will become stronger for this small war, and Suna will only be moving themselves into a far worse position for what there are planning to do."

"Yare, yare, you sound like a Nara with that plan. A very sick, twisted Nara."

All three turned to the new voice, only Danzo remaining outwardly unsurprised. Inwardly, he wondered how this stranger had managed to slip past his Ne posted outside of the room. In fact, he wondered how he'd gotten into the room without three highly trained veterans noticing that he'd arrived. His one eye narrowed as he scrutinized him. More importantly, he stared at the first thing that caught his attention; a smiling monkey faced mask.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" The man asked, rubbing his mask as though he were actually rubbing something off his face. Looking at his hand, he glanced back at them. "Did I get it?"

Unshaken by the antics and arrival of this strange newcomer, Danzo spoke first. "What do you think you are doing here?"

"Wait, you mean this was invitation only?" The masked man asked as he tapped a finger against his chin in mock thought. After a moment, he shrugged his shoulders in a dismissive fashion. "Well then, I guess I'm here to crash your meeting by being the voice of the people."

Homura frowned at that. "The voice of the people? Boy, _we_ are the voice of the people."

"Oh yeah, three old people who were once shinobi are going to speak on behalf of the civilians." He tilted his head down, the top half of his mask shadowed by his hair. "How very high and mighty of you. I'm sure that you know everything about what they think of you."

Koharu crossed her arms. "We are more than former shinobi; we are the Hokage's former teammates and current councilors. We know more about what is truly going on, and how to deal with it than you ever will. What makes you think what you are saying has any place here?"

"Because you playing the Hokage card makes you sound petty." The man said, leaning against the wall behind him. "Besides that, just the fact that you are his councilors should make listening to an outside voice all the more needed seeing as you are all biased by the fact that you are shinobi, and are looking at things from the shinobi perspective. As for the 'current events' you speak of, once again those are more shinobi affairs. Not the civilian's you say you're being a voice to."

Homura stepped forward, silently adjusting his glasses as he spoke. "Perhaps. However, as the Hokage's councilors, we must deal with both sides of the village. If one thing occurs to the civilian populace, than the shinobi will be effect."

"And vice versa, yeah I know that." The man said, nodding at Homura's explanation. "However, you normally do so while in front of the Hokage with councilors from the civilian side to help counterbalance the shinobi side of things. The Hokage's word is final, and –" He froze, snapping his head to a random corner in the room. "Why you little…!"

He held out his hand, pointing his finger at an invisible spot on the other side of the room. All three elders looked out of the corner of their eyes, not seeing anything that would catch their attention. As they looked, the man jabbed his finger in a downwards motion and focused more intently on the spot.

Like a crack of thunder, the genjutsu surrounding the hidden Ne operative fell and he went face first onto the floor next to the three councilors. This time, even Danzo appeared to be mildly shocked by the sudden turn of events. That particular Ne operative was an exceptional assassin, and had been ordered by Homura to take the man out by the signal of adjusting his glasses. In almost the instant he'd begun to move though, he'd been found and dispatched.

Danzo narrowed his eye. Who was this man, and how had he done that?

"Gah, I hate it when people do that." The man said, shaking his head. Scratching the back of his head with a sigh he began to tap his foot. "Alright, where was I?"

Koharu stared at the downed operative, wanting to kneel next to him and determine what had been done to him. None of them had seen the man in front of them move, and yet he'd somehow managed to get across the room and take him out? Things didn't add up in that regard.  
"By all means, check on him." The man said, motioning to the downed Ne operative. Koharu straightened in surprise as the man continued. "I'd hate to have a life on my hands because something went wrong and he somehow died while I was here. Please, have a look."

Blinking in confusion, Koharu nodded and rolled him over. Checking him for any wounds, she was surprised to find that there were none. His pulse seemed normal, almost as though he'd just fallen asleep. She dared not take off his mask, fearful that Danzo would see it as a sign of her attempting betrayal. Yet if she didn't, she might miss something that contributed to his sudden fall.

The man continued, snapping his fingers happily. "Ah yes, the Hokage! His word is law, but without knowing the word of the people, his position would be quite hard to keep. Civilians, unarmed and harmless as they may seem, can be quite a threat in numbers. After all, one ant on its own is easy to squash. An army…no so easy."

"Is there a point to this?" Danzo asked, genuinely curious. By this point, he was more interested in the potential the man in front of him had. He'd been able to instantaneously incapacitate his operative without showing what he'd done. Granted, if his right eye weren't bandaged, he might've seen what had happened. As it was, his operative had been on the his left side, and only his left eye had been focused to seeing the what he could have possibly done. Now, he was focusing on the man before his with his hidden eye, silently pushing for him to follow certain subliminal commands.

"Yes, yes there is." The man pushed himself off the wall, his seemingly playful demeanor turning more businesslike. "If you plan on simply allowing all of this to go down as it will, what of the civilians? Your duty is to promote the village, yes, but that in and of itself has always been helped by the civilian's different trades. What will you do if they get caught in the crossfire?"

"Suna has no need to harm the civilians." Homura replied. Of his companions, only Danzo would be focused if anything were to happen as Koharu was curiously looking over their unconscious operative. "An Oto is a small village. If they waste energy on attacking civilians then they are truly stronger than they have shown themselves to be…and I highly doubt that."

"You assume too much." The man replied, getting even Koharu to pay attention. "When I say civilian, you automatically have _assumed_ that I'm talking about all non-shinobi's. When I say in crossfire, you _assume_ that I mean get caught between the inevitable clash." He shook a finger at them. "You should know better than to assume anything. What I'm truly speaking of, is your retired shinobi populace. Your…other civilians."

Danzo tapped his cane against the ground in a seemingly agitated manner. "While it is true that they are considered civilians, during an attack on the village they are to be counted amounts the active forces should the still be in proper condition to fight and defend their village. So it was declared by the –"

"You really like your little coded actions don't you?" The man said, turning to another part of the room.

Danzo froze at the accusation. _'How did he know that so quickly? He knows nothing of me, or of my organization, yet he knows some of the codes I have made?'_ He inwardly frowned. _'How very unprecedented.'_

Homura held up a hand, stopping the advance of the Ne operatives. They didn't need to lose any more of their secret task force because they felt threatened. They would play his game, for the time being. "Alright, so you appear to know more about us than is common for a shinobi to know. What is it that you want?"

"I want you to make sure that you keep an eye out for the 'civilians' I mentioned. After all, it's like you said; so long as they're still capable of fighting, they're still shinobi." He tilted his head to the side, the smile on the mask seeming to reflect the face behind the mask. "What makes you think that they won't be capable of opposing you in the exact same manner? Since I'm obviously a bother to you, I'll make this quick; keep an eye on those particular civilians, or you will regret it."

Not waiting for an answer, he turned on his heels and began making his way to the door furthest from them. Pausing with his hand on the handle, he gave Danzo one last glance. "And if you try and hypnotize me the way you have throughout the little meeting again, it won't matter who you know. I will treat your actions as hostile and act accordingly. Inexperience be damned."

Danzo gripped his cane tightly as the door closed. He ignored Homura and Koharu's poignant looks as he thought over what the man had said. He'd carefully used the Sharingan in an attempt to push their mysterious guest to go to an alley so that he could have his operatives collect him. And yet, before the end of the short meeting, he'd somehow figured out what he'd been trying to do, and kept himself from submitting to the subliminal messaging.

"Hm, that was interesting." Danzo said, returning to the meeting. He'd figure out something later. "His words may have some merit, so I will dispatch a few members to keep an eye on that sector of the village. In the mean time, set up the shinobi above in the areas we went over before so that they can take care of their opponents effectively."

Homura and Koharu glanced at each other. Neither were sure what had happened with Danzo and the other man, but they had never seen him react like that. They were some of the few people who remembered back when Danzo actually did react to things that happened, and noticed the few ways he 'slipped up' from the cold façade he portrayed to everyone. They'd have to keep an ear out for anything regarding this man and his actions; after all, how hard was it to find one man wearing a monkey mask?

A short ways away walking down the tunnel, Tadao sighed. "That was scary. I never thought a bunch of old bats could still be so powerful when they're so damn old. And then I just _had_ to go and piss them off. Goodie for me. *sigh* All in a days work I guess."

Shaking his head, he sighed as he went over what had happened in the pseudo meeting. If he'd known more about them and how they'd react to different situations, he might've been able to pull that off better. As it was, to him it felt like he'd gone in and poked several angry bears and set them loose on the world. It was suicidal, and was difficult to tell whether or not his idiotic plan would work 'till the last possible moment. So far, it had gone off without too much of a hitch.

The real hard part of his plan had been the waiting portion. He'd known where the councilors held their 'secret meetings' for a while now, and could have gone there at any time throughout the past week before the finals began. He'd known better though. If he had gone before now, Izo would have known before he'd gotten halfway there. Now though, he was distracted enough by his business venture with Orochimaru that he wasn't keeping as close an eye on him as he normally did with all of his subordinates, and he could get a quick message out. A last minute warning at best, but one that would be worth it in the end. If he lived to see it.

He was the best one to do it after all; it had been what he'd been trained to do. Tell secrets, lie, and fight. When it came down to it, he didn't have the heart for any of them; though he'd shown to himself and everyone who doubted him that he could do all of those things. This though, was not simply telling a secret. This was telling his sensei's secret, lying to his sensei, and then starting an underground war that he would be inevitably drawn into that would crush him if he didn't watch how things worked out and keep an eye out for a way to get out.

But if that was the burden of what he was going to do, then so be it. He would not stand idly by and watch as Konoha dealt with the ever growing threat of tearing itself apart through the hidden devices of those who hid in the shadows. Even if his own life was put on the line, he'd be the blinding light to reveal them from the shadows, and to make people realize just how ignorant they truly were.

**-xxxxx-**

Sasuke was having a good day. Granted, he generally didn't see days as 'good' or 'bad' on most days, but if he had to give this particular day a label it would be a good day. The main reason for his good mood was mostly because he was now far more confident in his ability to fight against Gaara and survive. Not particularly _win_ against Gaara, but fighting without dying in the first moments was a definite improvement. It was something Ebisu had managed to drive into his head.

"_When faced with a superior opponent, don't think to yourself, 'can I win'? Instead think, 'how can I make them lose'? Regardless of what anyone else says, there are rules in a battle, and those rules are shaped on the go by how you and your opponent allow them to affect the flow of the battle. A battle between shinobi is a battle a great battlefield of rules. If you just give into what your opponent wants, you have already lost half the fight. When you fight, make them fight you on your terms, and on your battlefield, and you will have won half the fight. Oh, and if you get cocky while fighting Gaara, I will personally recommend you remain as a genin until the next exams. You know I can, and you know you won't win _that_ particular battle."_

Sasuke grimaced as he remembered how that had worked out for him when Ebisu had shown him just how practical the words were. During the month, Ebisu had shown himself to be every bit the jonin he'd said he was; tearing him down time after time and throwing him around like a ragdoll. Because he mainly used the 'basic three', he was versatile enough to fight in any situation, no matter what his surroundings were, and allegedly on par with all other jonin baring the special jonin. Admittedly, he hadn't learned any kickass new jutsu; however, just with how versatile he'd become, one of his techniques had an extra kick no one would see coming.

He clenched and unclenched his hand experimentally. He'd become more flexible in his thoughts, more willing to put off traditional views to try to use something differently. When he'd thought back on Naruto's usage of the Henge no Jutsu, he'd figured that the dobe had been onto something, but then quickly dismissed it. Barely a week into training, he'd smacked his head into a tree muttering curses as he realized that Naruto's plan had been borderline genius due to how flexible it was. Now though, he had his eyes wide open, and was going to watch the matches intently.

Looking from his hand to his arm, he smiled. After the rigorous training, he'd figured a change of wardrobe would be good. Instead of the Uchiha high-collared shirt and white shorts he'd become known for while he'd been in the Academy, he wore something more reminiscent of a past encounter. A blue kimono top with his clan symbol –the red and white Uchiha fan– on both of his shoulders, a black sleeveless muscle shirt beneath said kimono top, and grey camouflage printed hakama-styled pants.

When he'd found the pair, he'd had to stop himself from laughing and turning his hiate to the left side of his head. Together, it looked like he'd taken pieces from Zabuza and Haku's wardrobe and put them together on himself. It was nostalgic, and reminded him that he was stronger now. If he'd fought Haku now, he was sure that even without the Sharingan, he wouldn't have been nearly as wounded as he had been.

"Mimicry is the most sincere form of flattery." He muttered as he gently tugged on his shirt again. Ebisu had said that when he'd mentioned how the look had reminded him of the pair, and it fit. Both were powerful shinobi, and if anything, he wanted to be like them.

Them. Kakashi, Ebisu…everyone who had shown him how to become stronger than he once was.

Sasuke looked up from his musings, noting that he was coming up on the bridge he and his team usually used for their team meetings. It was yet another nostalgic sight for him. The three of them, leaning against the railings, whispering covertly to each other as Kakashi approached…

Sasuke stopped in mid step as he stared at the bridge. There were three people on the bridge, and none of them were members of his team. Looking them over, he figured that they looked more like hired mercenaries, or perhaps foreign shinobi who'd taken off their village hiate to keep from looking too conspicuous. His mind whirled as he thought about what reasons they would have for being at his team's bridge.

Groaning in frustration, he turned to walk down an alley that would lead him back to the main road. He was not headed over the bridge now, so he needed a new route to get to the arena before they began the exams. He was later than he wanted to be, and he really didn't want to pick up on that particular habit that Kakashi was renown for.

Not a moment after he'd entered the nearby alley, the three from the bridge noticed his retreat and began following him. Sasuke cursed under his breath as he slowly began to pick up speed, hoping to shake them off. The gods of luck did not seem to be smiling upon him at the moment, as they broke out into a full on sprint to catch up to him.

Thinking quickly, he gripped the wall of the alley and launched himself on top of the building. If they were just ordinary mercenaries, they wouldn't know how to roof hop like shinobi did as far as he knew. Looking down on them, he raised an eyebrow as they glared up at him. Apparently he'd thought right about them being mercenaries without shinobi training. That made things easier.

"What are you doing?" He asked, giving the patented Uchiha stare. It was known to make most people uncomfortable, and was rather useful during their time as members of the police force. It also had the odd side-effect of making any and all Uchiha look irresistible to practically any woman who saw it (or so he thought, seeing as his fan girls went ga-ga over the expression back in the Academy). The hardest part was looking indifferent while one spoke; most Uchiha broke out laughing when their opponents shook in fear of a simple look.

Apparently it wasn't quite as effective for him as it usually was, seeing as they continued to stare him down. "People are betting heavily against Gaara-san, and it will be bad if our employer were to lose his money."

Sasuke frowned. These men were hired arms to either delay him, or stop him entirely from arriving at the arena to fight with Gaara. That did _not_ bode well for him. "I'm sorry to hear that. Now, if you'll excuse me –"

"You ain't going nowhere pretty boy." One of the mercenaries said, flipping a butchers knife in his hand.

Sasuke felt his eyebrow twitching agitatedly. _'Why do people always mention stupid stuff like that? It's not my fault my parents were better looking than yours! Deal with it; I'm sure that there's _someone_ who will fall for you. Go find her instead of harassing me!'_

Another mercenary stepped forwards, some kind of oversized hammer in his hands. "You obviously didn't get what we said before. Our boss is paying us, and if you show up, he loses our pay." His expression twisted to a look of sadistic glee. "And we were given permission to hold you off in any way we needed too."

Sasuke sighed, rolling his shoulders. "I'm sure you'll try."

The largest of the group who'd spoken first then pulled his sword from its scabbard, the light ringing making Sasuke tense up. "Sasuke-san, you have very simple a choice. Don't go to your match, or we will stop you. It's not good to spill blood on our reputation, but the pay for this is worth it."

Sasuke groaned, running through his options. He could fight, and waste needed chakra for fighting Gaara. He could distract them and rush on his way. Or, the best potential option, roof hop until he reached his destination.

"Yeah, I'm going to head off now. See you at the arena." Sasuke said, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. Hopping to the roof on the roof on the other street, he continued on his way.

A second later, he heard several curses from behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he rolled his eyes at one of his pursuers attempt to chase him by climbing onto the roof. By his cursing, he could tell he was rather unsuccessful.

The other two on the other hand, were proving to be far more efficient in their method of scaling buildings. They had obviously had some shinobi training, and had learned to do the one thing he'd thought he'd had the edge on; roof hopping. Cursing under his breath as he picked up speed in an attempt to out run them.

So much for his 'good day'.

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AN: Gah, I needed to end it here, and it feels so short~! Oh well, the Chuning Exam's fighting scenes are coming! *Audience cheers*

This…was important. How…you'll see. At least, the second thing was. The other two were me just wanting to show that even Jiraiya has a hard time getting a message to the Hokage, and Sasuke's _new_ excuse for being late to the finals. I mean come on; did you really think he'd be on time? Where's the drama in that?

Also, no Naruto this chapter? Egads! I must fix this with an awesome Naruto fight scene!

*** IMPORTANT FAN QUESTION!***

Word of Honor is doing well, and has gotten pretty far considering it's been a little over a month since I started. Which is why I have a question for YOU READERS! I have an idea for another story; do you think I should undertake a second project, or focus on Word of Honor? If I did start another story, this would still be the _main_ story I'd work on just so you all know; the other would be more of a side project to deviate some energy to.

Next time on Word of Honor; _Fate's Blitz Slap._ Naruto verse Neji, FIGHT!


	18. Fate's Blitz Slap

Alright, I'll admit, it hasn't been that obvious. But, to make sure there's no confusion, I'll just tell you outright. Currently, Orochimaru's seal is _still on_. Jiraiya taught Naruto _nothing_ over the month break. Which means no Kyuubi or summoning for the time being. You may now raise an eyebrow in curiosity and watch Neji get his face beat in. Enjoy.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I also didn't misspell the title of this chapter! Booyah!

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Word of Honor

_Chapter 18: Fate's Blitz Slap_

Naruto stood in front of the stadium, looking over the massive structure before he headed in. Despite how pumped and eager he was, he'd been unable to get any sleep the night before. With a heavy sigh, he tugged on his new collar absentmindedly. He had come to greatly appreciate the new set of clothes, especially since his old jumpsuit –resilient as it was – had basically fallen to tatters from all the training he'd done.

The clothing now were tougher, cooler, and actually made the spandex he wore beneath them stand out in a fashionably sensible way. The top piece was a high collared orange haori, with a black wind design dancing along the seams. In the center of the back was a white square that had the kanji 'ninja' written within it. It stopped right before his mid thigh, giving him ever present access to his kunai holster that was strapped next to where his hand lay. The second piece was simpler; a pair of orange shorts that went below his knees, with a ring of black lining the bottom. Around his waist in a similar style to how Gai and Lee wore theirs, his black belt-like hiate kept tied his haori closed so it wouldn't come open while he fought. His blue sandals didn't work with the new clothing setup, so he'd had to buy black sandals to replace them. The final piece that finished his outfit was his old goggles strapped around his head.

The goggles had been a spur of the moment idea. He'd worn his haori and shorts to his training for the past week to make sure that he could move freely in his new clothes; which had proven better than he thought, as he had the same freedom of movement as when he wore only the spandex. As he'd been about to leave his apartment, he'd felt uncomfortable without something on his forehead, and had conveniently been able to see his desk from the door. He'd had an argument with himself for nearly five minutes before he'd gone back and grabbed the goggles.

Now though, it felt right to have the goggles with him.. Messing with the goggles, he experimentally pulled them over his eyes. They were designed to conform to his face, allowing his eyes to still have full view with only minimum vision impairment around the edges of his normal vision. With the technique Kushina had pushed into his head, he'd been annoyed by what it did to his eyes. With this little trick, he'd be able to avoid that particular issue better, and would be able to beat up Neji better as well. Pushing his goggles onto his forehead, he turned his neck with a small crack, loosening his muscles as he widely grinned in anticipation of the upcoming fight.

"Alright, show time." Naruto muttered as he marched into the stadium.

There was a dull roar from the crowd as he entered, most of the other competitors already standing in the middle of the arena. Naruto's eyes quickly locked onto Neji, his indifferent look making Naruto's blood boil beneath his skin. He was going to make Neji realize just how bad an idea it was to underestimate him, and he was going to win.

As he joined the short line of finalists, he noticed that Sasuke hadn't arrived yet, and that the jonin judge wasn't Hayate. Instead was a man with his bandana-styled hiate worn backwards, and a senbon in his mouth. Naruto wondered about that for all of two seconds before putting it out of his mind. It wasn't his problem if the man wanted to chew on a senbon; he'd heard of much stranger habits.

He was more worried about Sasuke. He'd been perfectly fine when they'd left the forest, so he should have been training as hard as he could to make sure he could perform at his best in the finals. Looking at Gaara out of the corner of his eyes, he grimaced as he remembered how Lee had ended up. Sasuke had better have trained really hard to make sure he won.

"Thank you everyone for coming to Konohagakure's Chunin Selection Exam!" Sarutobi's voice boomed from the Hokage's box. "We will now start the tournament matches between the ten who made it through the preliminaries. Please stay and watch till the end!"

The senbon chewing jonin gave them all a quick once over before he spoke. "Alright, Hayate couldn't make it to today's event, so I'm filling in for him. My name is Genma, and I'll be today's judge."

Naruto bit his lip hesitantly, putting his hand in the air. "Hey!"

Genma gave him a flat stare. "What?"

"Sasuke isn't here yet. What are you gonna do if he doesn't show up?"

"If Sasuke doesn't appear by the time of his match, he will receive a default loss." The Genma said calmly, knowing enough of the rules to know that much. When Hayate had turned up dead on a roof a few days before, he'd been appointed to proctor the match, and had memorized as much of the rules as he could before he'd come down.

Naruto rubbed his chin in thought, disturbed by Sasuke's absence, and thinking over why Sasuke would be late. _'Hm, that's weird. Knowing him, he'd have already been here if it meant he was dragging his own body behind him. Something's up.'_

Gaara frowned in thought as well. He'd been unable to approach Sasuke due to his sensei and Sasuke's trainer getting in the way. His hands twitched in anticipation. He would not deny his mother the blood she so hungrily craved. His face twisted into a pained and psychotic expression, muttering under his breath how he'd feed 'mother' what she wanted soon.

"Alright guys, this is the final test." Genma continued, unaware of Gaara's subtle change. "The arena is different, but the rules are the same as the prelims; there are no rules. You fight until one of you dies or acknowledges defeat. If I determine that the fight is over, I'll step in and stop it, you got that?" Turning to the first two competitors, he nodded to the two of them. "The first fight…Uzumaki Naruto verse Hyuuga Neji. Those two stay here, while the rest of you go to the waiting room."

Naruto's eyes remained on Neji as everyone else left. Despite the chilling feeling he got from him, he actually wondered what had gotten him worried a week before. Looking at him now, eye to eye, he realized what he should have realized from the beginning. All seeing eyes or not, he was just as human as Naruto was. That meant he could make mistakes; like the one he was making right now.

He was underestimating him.

"It looks like you have something to say." Neji said with a smug smile on his face. In his mind, he'd already won. Letting him say a few extra words couldn't hurt.

Naruto had thought about what he should say several times before now. Han'ishiki had remarked that he should just beat him up and be done with it, while Hinata had done nothing more than look away in a pain stricken manner. Kushina though, had actually given him some excellent words to throw in the arrogant Hyuuga's face to throw him off his game.

"Even if you think you'll win this, it won't really matter. You already lost." Naruto said, crossing his arms with a dark grin.

Neji raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Oh? And how's that?"

"This is the Chunin Exams, where we fight to become _chunin_." Naruto explained, slowly sliding his foot back to a more ready position to sprint forwards. "I'm here to show everyone that I'm ready for more responsibility, and to show to everyone how strong a Konoha shinobi is. You…you're here to show off."

"What are you talking about?" Neji asked, scoffing at his accusation. He'd come here for the same reason Naruto had; why was he saying such stupid things?

"You might've been aiming for chunin in the beginning, but that changed when you fought Hinata." Naruto said, pointing a raised fist at Neji. "You attacked a fellow genin because of some family issues you haven't resolved." Narrowing his eyes, he raised his other fist besides his face, pulling his goggles down before letting his hand settle in a guarded position. "I vowed to Hinata that I would win…and I'm going to keep that promise. That is my nindo."

Neji activated his Byakugan for a second, looking Naruto over skeptically before quickly turning it off. _'His eyes are confident. A person who holds no doubt in himself.'_

Genma winced at Naruto's words, knowing how he'd the nail right on the head. Despite the cloak and dagger the Hokage had them all go through, Naruto had apparently seen through it and all but called them on it too. In the small group of chunin potentials that he would be recommending, he'd definitely be throwing his vote in with Naruto – if not for the moment of clarity, but for the fact that he had the balls to stand up to a Hyuuga knowing full and well what they could do.

"Now, the first fight! Begin!"

Neji began to slide into the basic Jyuuken (Gentle Fist) stance as he smirked. "This will be worthwhile. It will be fun watching you fall apart when –"

Naruto didn't let him finish his comment as he bolted forwards. Neji, his Byakugan not active at that moment, was caught flatfooted as he quickly attempted to reactivate it on the fly. By then though, Naruto had gotten into his personal space and lead off with a haymaker. Neji leapt back, avoiding the first strike as it barely avoided missed hitting him.

Up in the stands, everyone who was below the rank of jonin who knew Naruto were wondering just how much of an idiot Naruto was. Close ranged combat was dangerous to engage a Hyuuga in, due to they Byakugan's ability to see tenketsu and allow them to systematically shut people down and make them unable to perform jutsu. To get up close and personal was basically rushing to defeat. The jonin however, had a different opinion.

"I see. That kid's smarter than he lets on." Asuma said, grinning around the cigarette in his mouth.

"He's taking the advantage from the beginning." Kakashi said, smiling at Naruto's forwardness.

Nearby, Choji overheard his sensei talking with Kakashi, and turned to them in confusion. "What do you mean sensei?"

Asuma smiled kindly at Choji. "You see, the Hyuuga style is dependant on their bloodline, the Byakugan. Before the fight began, Naruto moved to more easily rush Neji. Since Neji's bloodline was off, and he had a few seconds before it was active, Naruto took advantage of that moment to get in close and try and end it as fast as possible." Looking back at the arena, he frowned. "He missed though, so close ranged combat is useless from here on out. Here's where Naruto will really be tested."

Naruto inwardly cursed as he continued to press forwards. Since his first punch had missed, he quickly launched off his back foot, whirling into a spinning kick that would have caught Neji off guard if his Byakugan hadn't been on. Undeterred Naruto pivoted on his grounded foot, using chakra to give him a quick boost, to launch his attack the few extra inches to connect with Neji. Neji gave a small release of air as he smirked.

His fingers were a blur as he attacked Naruto's leg, aiming for the tenketsu points there. At this distance, he was unlikely to miss, and Naruto was unable to do anything from such a compromising position. To his surprise, the foot that was against his chest lashed upwards and caught him on the underside of his chin, causing his teeth to come together with a sharp click.

Neji stumbled back with a start, his eyes wide in surprise. Naruto had somehow been able to bring his foot up from an extended position like that? Looking at Naruto though, he quickly realized how he'd done it. Instead of staying still, Naruto had leaned backwards and turned his second kick into an extended back flip. The thing that really annoyed him though was that he hadn't seen Naruto move right before he'd caught him in the chin.

Naruto smirked, feeling no small amount of satisfaction from the sound of Neji's teeth striking together. "You'd better stop underestimating me." He said as he formed a familiar cross seal and created four clones.

With a loud shout, the five Naruto's charged forwards. Neji's eyes widened as he saw the chakra evenly distributed between the clones and how even their chakra systems were similar. They quickly returned to normal as he figured that there was only one real Naruto; he just had to find the real Naruto.

As they approached, two rushed faster than the rest of the group. Neji smirked as he crouched slightly before leaping over them. He attempted to place a hand on either of their heads to knock them over, but found his hands connecting with nothing. Looking with his Byakugan, he saw that they had simply continued to run past him. Two others ducked to the side and attempted to catch him in a pincer move before he landed. Twisting in the air, he tried to lash out at them, but once again missed as the two clones as they stopped abruptly before finishing their attack. He realized why as the final Naruto blindsided him from above with a foot that crashed into his gut.

Naruto grinned as he grabbed Neji's shirt. "I knew it. You can't see everything!"

Neji smirked, fisting a piece of Naruto's haori. "Oh really?"

With his other hand, he slammed his palm into Naruto's gut. Naruto arched his back, his eyes wide in pain before he burst into a cloud of smoke. Cursing under his breath, Neji rolled to the side as two other Naruto's tried to bring to attack him while he was down; one with a heel drop kick, the other with a punch.

Neji pushed himself back to his feet, eyes darting around as he looked between the four Naruto's left. Each one had a smirk, as two of them reached towards their kunai holsters. Neji quickly ducked into his own to retaliate, but was forced to leave his kunai in favor of an empty hand as a third Naruto dove for his back. Whirling around, he caught the Naruto's hand, grasping the clone by its wrist to prevent it from using the kunai in its hand to stab him. Undeterred, Naruto attempted to bring his knee into Neji's gut only for it to once again be caught in Neji's grasp.

With a large smirk, the Naruto in front of him grabbed his collar, holding him in place with chakra grounding his other foot. Neji's eyes widened as the Byakugan allowed him to see the two Naruto's from before throwing their kunai in rapid succession. Cursing under his breath, Neji released the knee in his hand to deliver a disrupting strike to the clone's gut, only for it to dispel as his hand drew near. Stumbling in surprise, there was nowhere for him to turn as the kunai approached him rapidly. Or rather, there wouldn't have been anywhere for him to go if he didn't already have a way to defend from a technique like this.

"Hakkeshou Kaiten (Eight Divinations Palms of the Hand, Heavenly Spin)."

Channeling his chakra through his tenketsu, he used a quick push of chakra to propel him into a spin; constantly pushing more chakra until he had a spiraling dome of chakra surrounding him. The kunai, which would have been at least somewhat lethal had they struck, bounced harmlessly off the wall of chakra. Neji couldn't help but smirk as despite his spinning, he could hear the awe of the people from Konoha who knew of the technique he was using. A _Main_ House technique, utilized by a _Branch_ House member. The ultimate spit in the face.

Outside the dome of chakra, Naruto rolled his eyes. "See? You're totally showing off right now! Seriously, I warn you, but do you listen? No~, you just go and do whatever you want."

Despite the bravado and nonchalant attitude he was conveying, Naruto was slightly frustrated. This technique all but nullified the technique Han'ishiki had taught him, which meant that unless he could think of something else to use, he'd have to use Kushina's technique. It was far from flashy, tired him out faster, and wouldn't catch nearly as many eyes as the technique Han'ishiki taught him. While he didn't like it, he didn't have a better choice at the moment.

Neji slowed his spinning, noting that Naruto was kicking up some dirt in what appeared to be frustration as he began bracing himself for the start of the technique. Smirking, he repositioned himself into the Jyuuken starting stance. "You said you wanted to become Hokage? With this level of skill, I highly doubt that." Noting that Naruto was looking at him in confusion, he continued. "Talent is decided at birth…in fact you could say that everything is decided when a person is born. With these eyes, I can figure out a person's fate."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Right, and the Sharingan can see into the future. Seriously, who died and made you the go-to guy for 'fate'?" Pointing at Neji, he scowled. "Just admit it; you have no idea what you're talking about!"

Neji continued to smirk at that. "Really? Then are you saying that by hard work, anyone could be Hokage? Only a handful are actually chosen to be Hokage you know, so look at the reality! Those who become Hokage, are chosen to by fate. You don't become it by trying, it's already decided by fate."  
"You really like to talk don't you?" Naruto asked, giving Neji a flat stare. "If that was true, then every Hokage Konoha has had became Hokage by sitting on their butt and waiting for it to happen? No way! Hokage-jiji is called Shinobi no Kami, a master of every technique in Konoha. Do you think it just _happened?_" Naruto punched his fist into an open palm. "I can't become Hokage if I just wait for it to happen; I have to step up, get into the fight, take everything that's thrown at me, get my hands dirty, and push harder than anyone and everyone. And guess what? I _will_. That is why people who work hard become Hokage; because they try as hard as they can are more than an average shinobi just like every Hokage who came before them!"

Neji looked startled by Naruto's opinion. He'd expected Naruto to hear what he said and become hesitant. After all, there was a lot of merit to what he'd said. Instead though, he'd just flung it back into his face in a positive light that made it sound like he actually could do it. He shook his head and glowered at Naruto. "If you will not listen to reason, then I will simply have to show you just how pointless it is to try fate."

Naruto rolled his shoulders, flashing Neji a large fox-like grin. "You see Neji, even I know that's a pretty dumb thing to say. I mean come on, you haven't hit me once yet. And besides, I've been going easy on you since the fight began."

Naruto ran through several seals, ending on a modified 'rabbit' seal. Grinning as chakra arced around him, he announced the name of his technique. "Sokusensokketsu no Jutsu (Blitzkrieg Technique)."

**-xxxxx-**

In the Hokage's box, Sarutobi silently thanked the Kazekage for being in the box with him. Because he was politically inclined to be courteous to foreign Kage's, and didn't smoke while the other Kage's would come. As such, when Naruto announced the name of his technique, he _didn't_ choke on his pipe when the sound was amplified for him to hear.

In order to make certain that the audience didn't get hurt, many being foreign dignitaries after all, the arena had been built as part of a large pit to ensure that they were high enough to avoid damage from the techniques that the genin were likely to know. Shortly after this first security measure though, several dignitaries had complained that they couldn't hear what was going on in the arena, which took half the fun out of observing the shinobi they could prospectively hire for jobs. To compensate for the high and lack of sound, several sealing masters had been brought in to put amplification seals around the rim of the arena. The genin didn't need to know about them, as it was unimportant for them to know that everyone could hear them.

Now though, Sarutobi wished that they weren't quite so loud. While he was potentially the only shinobi alive besides the Tsuchikage who remembered the exact details of the technique, there were many jonin who had worked alongside of Uzumaki's at some point or another and could have heard them use the technique at one point or another. This meant that potentially half of Konoha's elites were now going to have their eyes intently focused on Naruto for the remainder of the match. Inwardly, he cursed Jiraiya for so postponing his message to him till now.

"Is there something wrong Hokage-sama?" The Kazekage asked from the seat beside him. Sarutobi continued to curse Jiraiya as he realized that he'd been so startled, he'd let his guard down enough for the Kazekage to notice his discomfort.

Gathering himself, he gave the Kazekage a small smile. "No need to worry, I'm fine. I was simply startled to hear the name of that particular technique. It has been quite a while since anyone has been able to use it after all."

The Kazekage raised an eyebrow in confusion. "The technique…startled you? Surely I'm not misunderstanding you. According to what I've heard, you know every technique in Konoha. Wouldn't that mean that you know of, and how to utilize, this technique?"

"That's why it startled me." Sarutobi responded, looking down on Naruto with a hollow look in his eyes. "It had considerably died down in its usage shortly before I became Hokage for my first session, and so I never had a chance to find someone who could use this particular technique, and ask for their permission to use it."

Sarutobi was lying through his teeth at this statement. In truth, he'd spoken with _many_ Uzumaki during his time in office for information on the technique as he had with many of the other clans and their techniques. However, the Uzumaki's he'd spoken to in an attempt to learn the technique had vehemently denied him the opportunity to so much as attempt to learn the technique. When he'd questioned them about it, they simply informed him that it was a clan technique, and that they couldn't teach it to someone outside of the clan; Hokage or no Hokage. Not even Kushina, the last Uzumaki who stayed in Konoha, had allowed him to know of the technique; though she admitted her reasoning was entirely different.

Continuing his talk with the Kazekage, he decided to impress the man a bit. After all, there was no harm in telling him things that would be pointless for him in the long run. "I've seen it in battle though, and the potential of the technique has always been remarkable. That Naruto has managed to somehow resurrect the technique, is not only impressive, it's outright genius of him."

"Really?" The Kazekage looked down at Naruto as well, a hungry look in his eyes going unseen by Sarutobi. "What sort of potential do you mean?"

Sarutobi rubbed his chin thoughtfully, wondering how to best put it. After a second, he snapped his fingers as he figured out the best way to explain it without ruining how the battle would likely end from here on in. "Have you ever heard of Suiken (Drunken Fist)?"

"Yes." The Kazekage said with a nod. Though rare, Suiken users were revered for their taijutsu art form, and generally feared as an A-ranked threat from the devastation that generally occurred around a Suiken user.  
Sarutobi grinned, tipping his hat to hide his eyes from the Kazekage. "That fighting style is supposedly the basis for this technique, with a few extra twists. It's meant to be fast, uncatchable, and capable of turning a taijutsu match's loss into a victory based on the technique alone."

The Kazekage's eyes widened. "Is that so?" A small smirk crossed his face beneath the cloth that covered his mouth. If that were true, then the Uzumaki boy had resurrected a very valuable and very intriguing ability.

Orochimaru licked his lips in anticipation. The fight was going to get intense from here on in.

**-xxxxx-**

To all who were watching, it looked like Naruto's hair stood on edge –more so than it usually did– and his eyes became a more electric blue tinted color that lit up behind his goggles. To Neji, who could see his chakra thanks to his Byakugan, the tenketsu in Naruto's head suddenly began lighting up as the jutsu took hold. The random release of chakra from said points were what made Naruto's hair stand on edge, but it didn't appear to have done much else.

Appearances could be deceiving.

Blurring faster than he'd moved in the beginning, Naruto rushed forwards. A small trench of dirt exploded in his wake, evident of the speed he was moving at. Neji's eyes widened as he realized that Naruto had somehow boosted himself to what could be considered just barely below Lee's speed. The only thing he could think of was that Naruto had opened the Kaimon, and was attempting to use a technique equivalent of the Omote Renge. Smirking, he waited until he knew that Naruto would miss –his Byakugan allowing him to see Naruto despite the dust– and dodged to his left. Just like Lee always had, Naruto would continue his blind rush forward, unable to see that he'd moved until it was too late, and then he'd take advantage of that. He didn't realize his mistake of seeing Lee in Naruto, until Naruto did exactly what he was and would become renown for; something unpredictable.

Despite what Neji thought, Naruto _could_ see despite the speed he was moving. He could tell _exactly_ where Neji was, and when Neji dodged to the side, he made sure that he hit him. Turning his run into a slide, he rolled to his feet at blinding speeds, his world barely reorienting itself as he leapt towards Neji, his fists blurring into motion.

Neji realized his mistake when the first fist hit him in the gut. Rapidly, several others quickly followed, not giving him a chance to retaliate. Naruto was moving so fast, he couldn't tell where exactly he was aiming and hit Neji several times on either shoulder before focusing on Neji's chest again.

Neji, tired of being on the defensive and Naruto finally being close enough to definitively hit, whipped his arm around, fingers poised to strike Naruto in the chest to stop the technique. Right before his fingers hit, _centimeters_ before he touched Naruto, Naruto stopped his barrage and flipped himself backwards; making his entire body abruptly turn parallel to the ground. Neji's arm passed harmlessly through the air where Naruto's body had once been. Naruto's own hands, free from their assault on Neji, quickly gripped Neji's arm and used it to keep himself momentarily suspended. Grinning widely at Neji's confused and shocked expression, he coiled his knees into his chest and lashed out twice as quickly. His right foot struck Neji in his face, while the other landed solidly on his ribs. The blow separated the two; forcing Neji back and Naruto to drop the rest of the way to the ground.

Neji stumbled backwards, gasping for breath as he gingerly pressed on his now broken rib as he spit out a wad of blood and spit. Barely ten minutes into the fight, and Naruto had already taken advantage of the fight. He'd taken control from the very beginning, and Neji was now paying the price. He struggled to keep himself from coughing up some of the blood that had accumulated in his mouth from the multiple strikes to his face, but failed as he violently expelled the blood onto the ground around him. He grimaced, pressing his fingers onto his rib again. The strangest part was that despite the many blows that he'd taken –the rib blow being the most potentially serious in terms of injury– he felt oddly numb everywhere he'd been hit.

Naruto twisted himself in midair, landing deftly on his feet as he grinned at Neji. He was _very_ glad he'd worn his goggles now; the wind always had gotten into his eyes when he moved that fast, making them dry and the world around him harder to focus on. With his goggles though, he could take the added advantage of eye protection and allow himself to use his technique to full effect.

Before he attacked again, his smile was quickly replaced by a wince as he felt the technique beginning to take its toll. He had to shut Neji down quickly, least Neji discover one of the few weaknesses of his technique.

Neji took a deep breath, focusing on Naruto. "I…I see now. Your technique targets the tenketsu in your head, and focuses your chakra onto your brain." Changing his vision from chakra coils to look into Naruto from another view, he straightened with a sharp hiss. "I see. So _that's_ how you are able to react as fast as you are. You're using your chakra to stimulate your nervous system to respond faster than it would under normal conditions. That's…pretty impressive, considering you're a pretty much a nameless shinobi."

Naruto blinked, tilting his head to the side in confusion. "Wait…what?"

Neji scowled at Naruto's confusion. "Are you…you do know what your technique does…right?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I know what it does. I just never heard it explained like that before." Frowning and looking away, he scratched his head in thought. "Come to think of it, it was never really 'explained' at all. Huh, I should probably ask about what this technique can really do later."

Neji resisted the urge to palm his face as Naruto said that. "You mean to say…you came to the Chunin Exam finals…with an _untested_ technique?"

"No, I tested it." Naruto said, childishly sticking his tongue out at Neji. With a smirk, he continued. "I just didn't test it on normal people. Remember what my specialty is Neji?"

Neji frowned. "Kage Bunshin no –"

"Gotcha!"

Neji whirled around as his eyes widened. Naruto had originally created four clones, any yet Neji had only managed to take out _two_ of them. Now, too late, he realized his blatant error.

The two clones yanked back, pulling the nearly invisible ninja wire up and around his entire body. They'd been laying it down when Neji and Naruto had engaged the last time, his attention incapable of being split from the oncoming Naruto. Unable to spin in time, he was caught in the wire, glaring either way at each clone. To add insult to injury, they quickly wrapped their wire into the ring on the end of a kunai to prevent him from simply channeling chakra down the wire to dispel them.

Undeterred, Neji focused on the wire around him. While it was true that the Hyuuga didn't use their feet, or other parts of their body to perform the needle-like attacks that were used in Jyuuken, out of their training they were capable of expelling 'needles' from their entire body. He'd never actually attempted the technique in the middle of combat before, having only attempted it with Tenten during training, but it was all he had to work with, especially as he realized that the original Naruto had charged forward and was attempting to finish the fight while he was trapped.

Quickly manipulating his chakra he expelled the chakra into the wires. With a loud snap the trap fell to pieces, the two clones wide eyed in surprise. As he smirked in triumph, he reeled back in alarm as Naruto's left fist barely missed striking him on the nose. Not pausing, Naruto reached out with his right hand, openly grabbing Neji's face before Neji could retaliate. From between Naruto's index finger and palm, he saw Naruto grin victoriously.

"Dengeki (Electric Shock)."

A jolt of electric energy shot from Naruto's hand into Neji's head. Tensing in shock, every nerve in his face seemed to explode in activity, feeling everything at once and quickly overloading his senses. After a second, his eyes rolled into the back of his head as the technique finally knocked him unconscious. The last thing he was Naruto, standing over him. Naruto; the dead-last, and most likely to lose against him, had come out victorious.

Genma looked over Neji, his eyes wide as he quickly bent down and felt for a pulse. Sighing as he felt the ever present heartbeat, he turned to Naruto. "What the heck did you do to him?"

Naruto scratched his cheek sheepishly. "It's part of the Sokusensokketsu no Jutsu. Like Neji said, I speed up my nerves to move faster using chakra. Because it's not really a destructive blow, I could practice on my clones to see what results I could get. It took me a bit, but I found that I could actually do the same thing to my enemy that I could do to myself. The best part was that because I was using shadow clones, I could figure out exactly how it would affect Neji before I used it on him." Naruto grinned widely. "You should have seen what happened when I tried it while I was on water. The clone was out for the rest of the day." Naruto flinched, remembering the headache that had come when he'd finally dispelled the clone. The technique backlash was more painful than the clones by themselves could be.

Genma blinked, looking between Neji and Naruto. Chuckling at how the 'genius' had lost, he stood up, and raised a hand towards Naruto. "Winner, Uzumaki Naruto!"

* * *

AN: And that's Neji verse Naruto. My second full chapter fight. As you can see, Naruto dominated the fight from the very get go, mainly due to the fact that he blitzed Neji the moment Genma said start. Seriously, he said start, why don't they just _attack_ each other?

Also, before anyone reviews about how overpowered the one technique makes Naruto, there are weaknesses. A few of those will be explained in the next chapter, while others will be explained later on. Just be patient.

Quick note! …I have absolutely no idea if Sokusensokketsu actually means blitzkrieg. I was looking up 'blitz' and eventually stumbled across the name and figured that it was right. If it's not, please inform me so that I can correct it. (Although you've got to admit, the name does sound pretty awesome)

I also wanted to point out something I recently noticed in my writing because it's fun to point odd stuff I notice out; I _really_ like hitting people in the face. Zaku, Kiba, Neji…all of them have been hit in the face at one point or another, especially by Naruto. Plus, that the second time I've used the 'Scar hand of Doom' (Scar, as in from FMA – blowing up peoples heads). The first time was with Shino (accidentaly), and now Naruto (totally on purpose). Plus, now I have an excuss to use it more!

Next time on Word of Honor; _The Final's Countdown_. Don't laugh at the obvious song reference; it's time for the rest of the genin to strut their stuff!


	19. The Final's Countdown

Disclaimer: I don't own the computer I'm using to post this, what makes you think I can afford to own Naruto? Yeah, didn't think so.

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Word of Honor

_Chapter 19: The Final's Countdown_

"The match between Uchiha Sasuke and Sabaku no Gaara will be postponed until the end to give Uchiha-san a chance to arrive at the stadium."

Naruto frowned, crossing his arms as he growled under his breath. "You gotta be kidding me. If it had been me, they would have just gave the match to Neji and moved on."

"Yeah, and miss the fight between you and Neji? That would have been really stupid." Ino said, looking at Naruto hesitantly. Naruto had actually looked cool when he'd walked up the stares and rejoined those who were waiting for their own matches to begin. His goggles pushed onto his forehead did nothing to help tame his wild hair giving him a more roguish appearance with Ino found to be rather…attractive. Not only that, but she could see the spandex beneath his other layers, but due to the other layers, he actually turned a fashion travesty into a _fashion statement_. She'd seen Lee and Gai in their own spandex when they'd run around the tower –a travesty in and of itself– and knew just how bad it normally looked.

However, there was also something…off about Naruto. When he'd come in, he'd spotted her, and taken a place on the far side of Shino with Shikamaru helping be between them. She'd taken charge and switched places with Shikamaru to try and talk to Naruto, but it was almost like he was ignoring her. Not that she cared, she just wanted to know why he was ignoring her.

"Doesn't mean it would have happened." Shino said, calmly giving his own opinion on the matter.

Naruto grinned at Shino. "See? Shino gets it."

"Next match, Aburame Shino verse Abumi Zaku! With the competitors please come down to the arena?" Genma said, motioning for the two to come down.

Naruto cursed under his breath as Shino moved to go down the steps. Before he left for his fight, he paused next to Naruto. "I'm not sure what is going on between Ino and yourself, however you have my sentiments."

Naruto smiled lightly at Shino, giving him a quick nod. "Thanks Shino. Do your best out there."

Shino raised his head slightly, in what could be an 'interested' expression for an Aburame. "I will. After all, I'll have to win the next two matches if I want to end up fighting you."

"Yeah, well, I look forward to fighting you too." Naruto said as he grinned widely, holding out his hand. Shino looked at Naruto's outstretched hand for a second before grasping it in his own. Giving Naruto a quick nod, he made his way down to the arena.

Down in the arena, Zaku rolled his eyes at the odd man-bonding moment the two had. "Get your butt down here so I can kick it and move onto the next contestant! I'm getting bored down here!"

Shino would have rolled his eyes had he been anyone else. Unlike Naruto, Zaku was impatient in a bad way that made him look childish and impatient. If the leader of Otogakure promoted him, then they were obviously desperate for chunin in the newly formed village. It would be paramount of suicide, but it wouldn't be all that strange to see happening. Then again, Shino didn't plan on Zaku leaving the arena in one piece.

Genma looked between the two competitors, noting a strange tension between the two. Shrugging it off, he raised his hand in the air. "Second fight of the Chunin Exams, begin!"

Shino dipped into his kunai pouch, whipping out several kunai as he rushed after them to attack. Zaku smirked as he whipped his arms around, pointing both towards Shino. "Zankuuha!"

Shino didn't so much as blink as the kunai were flung back at him, the kunai slamming into him. As they did, his body disappeared into a swarm of kikaichuu. Zaku recoiled in shock as he realized he'd somehow been duped before remembering the little information that Shino had divulged about the bugs from the first encounter.

"Shit!" He shouted as he dove out of the way of the swarm. Figuring that Shino could control them, he tucked and rolled, pointing his palms at the swarm from his crouched position. "Zankuuha!"

The swarm was sliced apart as the concussive wave of chakra blew through them. Inwardly, Zaku couldn't help but grin. He'd once proclaimed that his technique was strong enough to split through rock with the force behind it. It had been a _slight_ lie, but over the month break he'd been able to get pretty close with how powerful it was. Before, he might've just blown the bugs away and been stuck with having to deal with them returning. Now though, he didn't have to worry about the bugs coming back for him.

He did have to worry about Shino coming after him though. Taking advantage of Zaku's overconfidence, Shino burst from the foliage that he'd hidden a clone and replaced himself in. Kunai in hand, he grasped the back of Zaku's jacket and slammed his kunai into Zaku's side. Zaku's eyes widened in surprise as it took a second to register the pain of the kunai.

He screamed in pain, spinning around to face Shino. Shino, kunai pulled from his hand when Zaku turned, barely had a moment to lean out of the way of the next Zankuuha that tore slightly at his jacket. Putting some distance between himself and Zaku, he threw his hands to the side and directed his kikaichuu to form a swarm around either hand. Wildly buzzing, the two clouds statically floating around his hands as he stared Zaku down.

"Give up." Shino said, not wavering in his stance.

Zaku grimaced, spitting out a wad of saliva and blood. "Why should I? I'm winning."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. You are bleeding out, if you continue to use chakra you'll only run die faster, and you are surrounded."

Zaku shook his head at the last statement. "What the hell are you talking about? I'm not surrounded, there's just you and –"

A low buzzing noise made itself known as he spoke, coming from _behind _him. Slowly turning around, Zaku felt shock as he realized that the swarm he'd supposedly taken out had survived. There were a lot missing, but there were enough of them to be a threat.

"They gathered themselves together to absorb and disperse your technique." Shino explained, motioning to his kikaichuu. "I've been practicing this and several other techniques during the last month. You aren't going to win this."

Zaku grimaced, whipping one of his arms to the swarm and aiming the other towards Shino. "Yeah? Well then I guess I'd better make sure I don't mess this up! Zankyokukuuha!"

Zaku built up the chakra in the vents in his arms, preparing to wipe Shino out in one shot. Had he been paying more attention, he would have seen the swarm behind him rush him and envelop his arm and plug up the vent in his right hand. The chakra pressure built quickly, and grew to dangerous levels far faster than for a normal Zankuuha. Shino looked calmly at Zaku, unmoving as the oncoming attack built.

Then it couldn't take anymore, and Zaku's arms were shredded. Not simply blown off, shredded. The pressure backlash ripped his arm from the shoulder down, cut several crisscrossing patterns deep into his face, and created an x-shaped gash across his stomach. Zaku blinked, his mind not quite registering what had happened. For a brief moment, he felt pain erupt from his arms and then an unfamiliar numbness swept over him. He blinked, his mouth opening and closing in an attempt to say something, but nothing came out. Seconds later, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he collapsed back onto the ground.

Genma grimaced at what was left of Zaku, knowing that Shino had only worked based on what he'd seen. Had he just used the lesser version of the technique, he might've only lost an arm, instead of setting himself on deaths doorstep. Quickly raising his arm, he pointed to Shino. "Winner, Shino!"

There was a small cheer from the audience, slightly more in some parts than others compared to Naruto. It had been a far gorier than they'd probably been expecting to see from genin fighting. Genma watched in distaste as the medics sprinted to Zaku, quickly him up and rushing him off of the field. They would do what they could, but it was highly unlikely he'd be able to do much of anything with the rest of his life with how he currently was. His life as he knew it was over.

Though his face didn't express himself in any way to show his discomfort, Shino had a slight offset step as he walked up the stairs. He'd never taken a life before, and –though the medics were going to give their all– he was certain Zaku had passed on due to his actions. Taking slow, calming breaths, he moved on. _'I can't let this get to me. My hive is already anxious; I don't need to aggravate them any more than they already are.'_

As he stepped into the finalists' box, he was met with an odd sight. Naruto was walking in circles with his fingers in his ears making random noises, while Ino attempted to get him to stop and listen to whatever she was trying to say. Raising an eyebrow at the rather comical scene, he coughed lightly.

Despite the noise and fingers in his ears, Naruto snapped his head around with a cheeky grin. "Aw man, Shino you did awesome out there! That was over so fast I almost missed it, but man…I never knew you could use your bugs like that!"

Shino blinked behind his glasses. "It's a simple technique that all Aburame learn to utilize in some form at some point in their lives. Really, it's nothing so spectacular."

Naruto shrugged. "What I did was 'nothing spectacular' but I made it look awesome. That's what you did with that bug shield thing; you made it more awesome!"

Shino glanced over Naruto's shoulder, noting that Ino was fuming as she was once again ignored by Naruto. She reached out a hand to grab Naruto's shoulder, but was stopped as Shino grabbed the shoulder first, guiding Naruto to a…quieter, part of the room.

Over in the corner, Dosu watched Shino walk off with wary eyes. While he didn't know Zaku personally, due to Orochimaru basically throwing the team together at the last minute, he had come to respect his abilities. He played with the idea of taking Shino out personally when the invasion began to pay him back for Zaku, but quickly discarded it. Zaku had simply been injured in the line of duty, fighting a superior enemy. If nothing else, he would have to be cautious should he have to fight him later. After all, the Yamanaka girl was nothing special, especially considering her performance in the preliminaries. If she lasted longer than five minutes, he would be surprised.

He was personally betting one being able to finish it in one.

"The next match, Sabaku no Temari verse Nara Shikamaru! Will the competitors please come down to the arena?"

Temari didn't say a word. Instead, she pulled her fan off her back and threw it out towards the center of the arena and leapt on. Using wind chakra, she effortlessly glided down next to Genma. As she landed, she turned to look back at Shikamaru, a confident look in her eyes.

"Man, I can't believe I have to fight such a troublesome woman." Shikamaru muttered under his breath as he looked at Temari. He looked at Gaara, who stood a ways away, out of the corner of his eye. His mind had already connected that Gaara and Temari were related, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that if he fought Gaara, he would _die_. Especially considering the encounter in the hospital.

**_-Flashback-_**

Gaara stood over the unmoving body of Rock Lee, his eyes twisted into a look of loathing, and disgust. He manipulated his sand over Lee, thinking of how best to break him without alerting the rest of the hospital to his need for assistance. He'd got an extension on his life when his sensei had stepped in, and now he wanted what was rightfully his; Lee's blood.

Despite his intense focus, he did notice when someone else entered the room. He took a brief second to wonder if he should kill the fool and be done with it, or let him watch. It would be interesting, especially since his siblings usually gave such great, fearful reactions whenever he did things like this. It constantly reminded them that their lives were only spared on a whim, or because he was ordered not to. It would be so easy to show this Konoha shinobi just where he stood in the food chain.

Before he could finish making his decision, he was turned towards the person by an unseen force. Confused and shocked, he finally realized who it was; the Nara. Remembering what he'd seen from his fight, he looked to his feet. Sure enough, his shadow was pooled beneath him and extending to Gaara's own shadow.

"What do you think you're doing to Lee?" Shikamaru asked, his usual lazy attitude currently cast aside for the time being. A fellow shinobi was in danger, and he would not stand by and watch.

"I was trying to kill him." Gaara said, his usual monotone broken with a slight hint of annoyance. He was being distracted by a simple pest. Mother wouldn't like it, but he was probably going to have to feed her his bad blood.

'_How can he stay so calm? He shouldn't be able to move…' _Shikamaru thought as he blinked in confusion. Narrowing his eyes, he decided to press for answers. "Why would you do that? You won your fight against him in the preliminaries. Do you have some kind of grudge against him?"

"No I don't. I'm going to kill him because I want to kill him." Gaara replied.

Shikamaru gulped, frowning at his response. "Man, what kind of messed up childhood could make him so self-centered?"

Gaara, obviously missing what Shikamaru had said, narrowed his eyes on him. "If you get in my way, I'll kill you too."

Inwardly running over his options, he decided a bluff. It was paramount on suicide at the moment since he was alone, but it would have to work. "You know, I saw your fight in the preliminaries. You're strong, a lot stronger than most genin." Putting on a fake smirk, he continued. "But I'm pretty strong too. I didn't show off any of my really 'special moves' during my fight. You really have no idea what you'd be getting yourself into."

Gaara didn't blink at the remark. "I'll say it again; if you get in my way, I will kill you too."

Shikamaru berated himself on his poor wording. _'Really? _He_ doesn't know what he's getting himself into? I'm playing a game of chicken with a guy who fights like some kind of monster!'_

"You are still in the way." Gaara remarked, calling forth his sand to do his bidding.

Shikamaru flinched, realizing that if he didn't do something, he was going to be crushed like Lee's arm and leg had been. Unfortunately, he didn't have any sort of bluff he could fall back on and use to help himself at the moment. He was basically a sitting duck.

Before the sand came upon him though, someone else entered the room. "That's enough!" At that moment Shikamaru released his hold on Gaara and turned to his savior. He never thought he'd be so thankful to see Gai standing behind him. "The finals are tomorrow. Don't get antsy."

Gaara flinched, his eyes seeming to bulge out as he clutched his head in pain. The sand flowed back into the gourd, Gaara wavering slightly as he walked past Gai and Shikamaru. Turning back to Shikamaru, he hissed under his breath. "I'll definitely kill you. Just wait…"

Shikamaru released a breath he didn't know he was holding as Gaara finally left. As he did so, Gai placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for standing up for Lee."

Shikamaru looked up, noting the thankful and serious expression on Gai's face. Running through the events that had occurred, he came to a startling conclusion. "You were listening in on the conversation."

Gai nodded gravely. "Yes. Hokage-sama asked that I keep an eye on Gaara during the month to ensure that he didn't do anything rash."

Shikamaru bit his lip, knowing he was probably stepping out of bounds with his next question. "What have you gathered on him so far?"

Gai shrugged. "There's not much. Had you been able to provoke him further, perhaps we could have learned something we didn't already know, but for now you know about as much as I know about Sabaku no Gaara."

Shikamaru grunted, looking back at Lee. "How…why did you leave Lee alone like that? I mean, I know it was orders, but to just leave you student…it doesn't sound like something you'd do."

"I didn't leave him alone." Gai replied. Shikamaru looked at him with a confused expression, so he explained. "I left him to you. Of the upcoming chunin hopefuls, there are only two that I would fully trust with Lee's life. Yourself, and Uzumaki Naruto."

"Wait, Naruto? Why would you put your trust in him?" Shikamaru asked.

Gai grinned, the light reflecting off his teeth as he spoke. "Because Naruto has shared the Springtime of Youth with Lee and I, and as such we have formed a bond that as true men we cannot break!" Fire suddenly seemed to burst from his eyes. "Naruto-kun is truly a member of the Springtime of Youth!"

Shikamaru sighed, finally falling back into his normal self as well. "Man, that is so troublesome."

**_-Flashback: END-_**

If Gaara were to make good of that threat, Shikamaru was dead for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Worse yet, he had no idea of how Gaara would react if he either hurt or beat his sister in his match. This whole thing was so –

"Baka! Get down there and fight like a man!" Ino shouted, shoving Shikamaru over the railing.

…troublesome.

Shikamaru stared up at the sky, noting the clouds above him. _'Oh if I were a cloud…Ino wouldn't be able to do stupid stuff like that.'_

Faintly, he could hear Naruto shouting at Ino for something or another. Shikamaru's mouth twitched upwards. It was so very ironic, since what Ino did was pretty much what he'd expected Naruto to do when he hesitated.

Maybe Naruto was changing for the better.

His thoughts were cut off as a shadow loomed over him. "Are you going to just lie there, or are you going to get up and fight?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Eh, I don't know. The clouds look pretty nice right now, and your head is in the way. Do you mind moving?"

Temari's eye twitched. "Are you serious?"

Genma chuckled at Shikamaru's nonchalant attitude. "Well, since your both in the arena, let the third match of the Chunin Exam's begin!"

Temari grinned widely as she raised the fan over her head. "With pleasure!"

Shikamaru groaned as he pulled out a pair of kunai. "Troublesome."

With a loud battle cry, Temari brought her fan down on Shikamaru's head. A large plume of dust was kicked up around the two, momentarily obscuring them from view. When it died down, Temari scowled as she realized that Shikamaru had already moved away.

Hidden in the forestry a ways away, Shikamaru cursed under his breath. Admittedly, it had been a very good plan to escape with, but now he had to figure out what he was going to do for a counterstrike. It was even harder than it would be normally since he also had to factor Gaara and his death threat into the equation as well. Which meant he had to bind Temari and make her surrender without actually hurting her. Even with his high intelligence, figuring out how to do something as impossible as that was so astronomically impossible that it would take his dad to figure out what to do. Rolling his eyes, he arched his hands together and began to think.

Temari walked back to the center of the arena, eyes darting about as she searched the trees for Shikamaru. She was not dumb enough to jump into the forest to chase after him. He was a Konoha shinobi; if she went in after Shikamaru she'd be giving him the advantage. While it wasn't necessarily good to remain in the open, it was the best place she could use her techniques from. After all, laying down a wave of wind could take care of most if not all of the techniques that could be thrown at her.

Unfortunately, that didn't necessarily stop Shikamaru. Careful as she was, she nearly missed the shadow that shot across the ground towards her. Eyes wide, she hopped backwards to keep her own shadow away from him. After a second though, it stopped just short of her. Watching it retract back to the trees, she grinned and carved a line where it ended. All she had to do was keep out of range of the shadow, and she'd be good.

Shikamaru sighed, waiting for time to pass so that the shadows would become longer against the ground. Thinking it over, he figured it would probably be a good idea to create an extra shadow to elongate it further. Tying his jacket to a kunai, he looked out from behind his tree, a small smirk on his face. He'd purposefully made his shadow shorter by arching it around a couple of trees to hold it back. Now was the only chance he'd get at capturing her, without some freak incident helping give him a chance to jump his shadow further.

"Kamaitachi (Cutting Whirlwind)!" Temari shouted, shooting multiple waves of razor wind at where she thought Shikamaru was.

Shikamaru watched the attack slice through tree after tree in that area, sending debris all around. His focus soon fell on the pieces that landed between Temari and Shikamaru. With slightly widened eyes, Shikamaru began changing a few points of his strategy. It would be risky, but he had more than enough speed behind his technique, that it just might work. And with the time just right, it was now time to act.

Holding his hand in the seal for his technique, he grinned as he shot his shadow forwards. Bouncing it from branch to branch, it whipped forwards faster than Temari had expected. Temari grit her teeth as she stumbled back when the shadow zipped over the line she'd made. Worse, there was an extra shadow from the kunai weighted jacket let his shadow slid under her guard and caught her shadow in a bind.

She grit her teeth as she her ability to move was restricted. She'd underestimated him, and after fifteen minutes of him not doing anything while he'd waited for the shadows to grow longer, she had lost. She muttered curses as Shikamaru stepped out from behind the tree he'd been hiding behind, and walked her forward. They met halfway, surprisingly neither of them looking too happy with the outcome of the fight.

Shikamaru went over how he could 'win' again, looking at Gaara out of the corner of his eye. There was one really good way, one that would help divert his attention. The only problem would be pulling it off in a way that sounded reasonable.

Raising his –and Temari's– hand in the air, he calmly spoke. "Proctor, I forfeit." Judging by the gob smacked expression on both of their faces, he decided to elaborate. "I have more than enough chakra to win, but I got hit with the brunt of her first attack, and wouldn't be able to do much in the next match as I am now."

Temari looked like she bought his lie; after all, his lazy form could have been him trying to mask an injury. Genma though, could see right through it, and wondered what reason he had for lying to them. He'd look into it later; he had a match to call for now. "Winner, Sabaku no Temari."

There was a sever lack of cheering that had been present for the previous matches. Most everyone, nobles and shinobi alike, were trying to figure out what they'd missed.

**-xxxxx-**

Up in the stands, Asuma scratched his beard in thought. Shikamaru was a smart kid, and could have found a way to win the match and the one after with intelligence alone if he so wanted. He couldn't imagine that he'd risk being yelled at by his mother for just dropping out like that, seeing as it was 'to troublesome' to get yelled at. Something was up.

"Your student seems…off, don't you think?"

Asuma nodded to his companion. "Yeah, he does. Trouble is, I don't quite know what it is that's off right now."

"…maybe he's just nervous?"

"No, I could never see him as the 'nervous' type. He'd think about it and eventually say that it was 'to troublesome' to be nervous." Asuma said, pinching the bridge of his nose to stem the headache that was coming. "Kami-sama, this _is_ troublesome. What do you think Kurenai?"

Kurenai shrugged, her eyes still focused on the arena. "I don't know. Shikamaru is your student, so you know him better than I do."

"Yeah, but you have fresher eyes on his actions than I do. What do you see?"

Kurenai bit her lip, thinking over what she'd seen. "I think…he's scared. There's something going on that we don't know about, and Shikamaru figured that his way was the only thing he could do to try and get out of it."

"Or to keep a better eye on things." Asuma muttered, nodding at Kurenai's assessment. Thinking it over, he decided to put it on the backburner for the time being. He turned to Kurenai with an impish grin. "So, how was the fight?"

"Which one?" Kurenai asked, genuinely confused. The only fights she had been concerned about had been the fight Shino had, which she'd only imagined he'd come out victorious in, and –

"The first fight between Naruto and Neji."

Kurenai flinched at the memory of the fight. She'd envisioned the fight to go far differently than it actually had. She'd heard rumors about him mobbing his foes with his clone technique, heard that he had an eye for odd details that had helped him in the first test, could use normal techniques in an off the wall way, and had the devils luck. Him winning using any one of those would have been fine with her, as they fit with what she knew about Naruto.

Instead he didn't. Sure, he'd used clones, but he'd done so _tactically_. He'd pressured Neji from the start, and took advantage of the few weaknesses of the Jyuuken that most people hadn't thought of before; focus, and reaction speed. By keeping Neji's attention on him, he'd been able to use his clones to give him an opening at the end, and by reacting faster than Neji could follow, he'd been able to land _multiple_ solid blows on Neji before he'd finished it. The fight had been surreal for her.

"I…don't know." She admitted, biting her lip. "Neji fought in the textbook Jyuuken style, with a few added techniques. He was precise, and from what I'd seen, should have taken Naruto out from the very beginning. Naruto…he didn't fight anything like I'd expected from what I'd seen in the preliminaries."

Asuma nodded. "I hear you there. That technique he pulled off at the end brought back some memories for me." He scratched the back of his head with a sigh. "Tou-san probably laid a brick when he heard it."

Kurenai turned to Asuma. "Why would he do that? What's so big about that technique?"

Asuma shrugged. "I've never actually seen anyone do it, but he's told me a few stories. It's supposed to be the some fighting enhancement technique because it raises the person's awareness to the point only someone at their speed opening their inner gates could catch them." Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he continued. "There is…a catch though. Like the gates, it has an operational time limit. Unlike the gates though, the user can keep pushing themselves because they aren't actually straining their muscles in the same way a gate user is, mostly their mind really. It's meant for blindingly quick assaults, that when used by a skilled user can attack the nerves with their own."

"I see. Well I suppose that makes – it does what?" Kurenai asked, trying to grasp what he was saying. "I thought he was using lightning manipulation to speed his nerves up?"

Asuma shook his head. "No, that's not it. He'd have had to do a lot more training to get that good at his age...unless he had a real good grasp of his natural affinity, or the Sharingan...without killing Neji. From my time as a Guardian, I heard a few things about people who used that technique in the past. One medic told me the technique does something to stimulate the brain with chakra to increase everything. Speed, reaction time, how sensitive his senses are, you name it. And the real scary part is that it's supposedly instantanious. Byakugan users used to hate that technique 'cause they were hard for them to predict what the person would do next. The attack he used at the end though...I've never heard of. At least, not like that." Asuma shuddered at the though. "It shut Neji down so fast...I don't think he saw it coming."

Kurenai gulped, staring back down at where Naruto was leaning against the railing. She'd underestimated him, greatly. And if what Asuma said was true…he had a whole lot more that he could learn to augment his formerly berserker-like taijutsu to new levels. From the sound of it, the only taijutsu user who _might_ be able to stand up to Naruto in the future using taijutsu alone would be Gai's student Lee. And that was only if Lee recovered from the injuries that Gaara had inflicted on him.

Listening in from a few rows behind them, Kiba frowned at what he'd heard. "You hear that Hinata?"

Hinata nodded, breathing slowly to avoid her heart from straining itself. Had Naruto been losing more, she was afraid that she might've strained herself to the point of needing assistance. However, Naruto had dominated the fight from start to finish. She flushed as she remembered how Naruto looked in the arena with his new look. She had to keep herself from continually going back to remembering what he looked like in _only_ spandex, and was helped by one other action Naruto had made.

He'd pulled his goggles over his eyes. She'd remembered when he'd first started wearing those goggles back in the Academy. While most would see him taking up the 'goggle mantle' as him returning to his childish ways, he'd instead taken another step in the right direction. She blushed again as she realized that Naruto had stood up for her again –and she knew it was for her because he'd said her name in the beginning– this time in front of a whole crowd of people. Almost the whole village. That particular thought made her freeze for a moment before fainting. As Kiba shouted, she thought about how she probably was going to have a lot to explain to her father later. But at the moment, she couldn't quite care.

Her Naruto had fought for her...and that was all that mattered.

**-xxxxx-**

"Leave me alone Ino!"

"Oh come on Naruto, you're being ridiculous!"

Naruto glared at Ino, who huffed in annoyance. He'd managed to keep her at a distance thanks to Shino's timely intervention, and Shikamaru's match. Before her own match began though, she'd ambushed him in an attempt to get something about something or another. He hadn't bothered listening as he was doing everything he could to make sure that Ino didn't make an offhand comment about Sasuke and make him doing something he'd regret doing later.

"Yamanaka-san, please refrain from what you are doing. Your match is coming up momentarily, and it would probably be best that your ready yourself."

Naruto thanked whatever Kami was watching over him at the moment for Shino's presence. Despite how creepy he initially thought he was, Shino had turned out to be great at keeping Ino at bay. Ironically, his undeniable logic and inability to get riled up made it easier for him to deflect Ino than he could by himself. Plus, when Ino was away, Shino was able to point out the odd things that he couldn't see; making the other fight between Temari and Shikamaru more interesting.

"The fourth match, Kinuta Dosu verse Yamanaka Ino!"

"I forfeit!"

There was a short silence as everyone stared at Ino. Ironically, Shikamaru was the one who finally broke the silence. "Troublesome. You already knew that you couldn't beat him, didn't you?"

"What do you think I am, stupid? Of course that guy would win! I don't know and techniques that can counter his attacks, and if I fight him I'll be too hurt to watch any of the other fights." Ino said, scowling at Shikamaru. She wasn't dumb enough to make it into a pride fight for he did to Choji. After all, it could have been so much worse, and she honestly didn't have anything else to use to fight him with.

"Yeah, but now Sasuke's run out of time!" Naruto shouted, waving his arms about in frustration. It was actually somewhat satisfying to see Ino's eyes go wide as she realized what she'd just done. The worst part though, was that she also knew she couldn't just take it back either.

:Winner, Kinuta Dosu!" Genma said, looking around for Sasuke. "Final match, Sabaku no Gaara verse –"

Before he could finish, a whirlwind of leaves began to blow in front of him. For a painstakingly long moment, there was only silence. Then, Sasuke and Kakashi appeared in the middle of the stadium.

Genma raised an eyebrow at the sight, shrugging as he finished his announcement. "…verse Uchiha Sasuke."

* * *

AN: Aren't I evil. The Gaara verse Sasuke fight is coming up, and Sasuke shows up like he does in canon! The reason behind it though…you'll see next chapter.

I know I said both Zaku and Dosu would be used later…and they will. Zaku will…just…um…well, you'll see. It should be very interesting though! (Every idea I've gone over for him and Dosu just make me continue to wonder why other people don't do more with them). And the real difference between cannon and this fight…was that it was in the finals, and Zaku lost _both_ his arms. I wanted the 'hand of doom', but it wouldn't have fit with the fight.

Also, that's what happened in the 'Gaara is killing Lee' scene. Because I do _not _believe that Gai would just let his prized pupil be allowed to be killed, or that he just conveniently walked in when Naruto and Shikamaru needed saving in the manga. Thus, Gai had his mission which allowed him to help Shika, how convenient. Plus, it tells you all that Naruto does _not_ know about Gaara's demon. That should be fun.

Explaining Naruto's technique was a pain. Almost literally. Everyone thought it was lightning manipulation, like the Raikage.

What Kakashi's been up to will briefly be mentioned in the beginning of the next chapter, while Sasuke's training and fight will also be told. You'll never guess who the victor will be!

Oh, and _THAT_ is how Naruto's technique is different from the Raikage's lightning armor. Plus there's other stuff that'll be brought up later. *evil laugh*

Next time on Word of Honor; _Playing With Fire_. This is for those people who have patiently waited to see what _some _of the practical application of the basics can do.


	20. Playing with Fire

Three words. My. Computer. Died. And it decided to take my files with it. Danged thing, trying to tell _me_ not to write so much. Had a _lot_ to redo/go over, but here's the next chapter.

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**_Word of Honor_**

_Chapter 20: Playing with Fire_

Kakashi had been having a good day. The sun shined brightly for all to see, he'd just gotten done with his daily routine, and Gai was currently nowhere to be seen. That was worth more to him than the entire series of Icha Icha combined; including his author signed edition.

Sighing to himself, he turned and began jogging down the richer part of the village. Most of the people there had already gone to the arena, and it gave him some time to think over what he'd done over the past month. Or rather, what he'd been able to accomplish.

Contrary to what some may have thought, he was not looking forward to the upcoming fights. He may have referred to his students as soldiers, and soldiers they may have been, but even he wasn't hollow. He was actually pretty scared; for their safety, for what would happen if the two of them got through their round and fought one another, and even what would happen if they _didn't_ fight one another. They were proud men, and they would definitely want to fight each other at some point. The sooner they got it out of the way, the better. Plus, with Orochimaru lurking about, neither of them were truly safe for the time being.

Thinking back on his past month, he sighed. He'd avoided keeping tabs on them because he didn't want to seem like an overly worried sensei that coddled or babied his students. They wouldn't respect their pride as shinobi, like his own sensei had respected his when he'd been a genin. That's why he'd 'ditched them' on other sensei's. That, and they needed experience from anyone who was capable of teaching them. Learning from others would help Naruto and Sasuke grow.

Sakura though, was another matter all together. Because he had successfully made sure that his other students were learning something over the month break, he'd moved onto the student that truly needed the most work. Sakura had lost, and thus training her would have proved the most beneficial for the team, as she was still a clean slate to work with. Or rather, she _would_ be a clean slate to work with, and he could have taught her so much, if it weren't for one small problem.

Sakura didn't want to learn. Put a book in front of her and she'd take it in and spit it back out the moment she was done. As her if she wanted to get stronger and suggest a physical fitness workout, and suddenly you'd find yourself more confused than when you began. And Kakashi had been confused. When he'd asked, she had spouted off about how she'd lost because she hadn't known something or another about not knowing enough about the techniques she would be up against and had quickly locked herself in her room. For whatever reason, she'd figured that the answer to her problem was that she hadn't _read_ enough. Not that she'd been physically inferior to her opponent, but that she'd been unable to outthink her. Granted, that had played a part, but that hadn't been the point. One couldn't just learn techniques and counters to others techniques; they had to train themselves physically to ensure that when they thought they didn't get killed.

As such, instead of going off and training with his student, he'd been stuck training alone for the past month; Hokage's orders. With Orochimaru around, the Hokage needed his best at their best, and the couple of months spent training his students had taken some of his edge. For his students, he needed to be beyond elite Anbu level to keep up Orochimaru, and better than he'd ever been before. Difficult as it may have been, due to hitting his 'glass ceiling', he'd done so anyway. He was almost certain that he was halfway towards being able to pull off five Raikiri (Lightning Cutter) rather than the usual four he was able to before. It had taken some work, but the progression was becoming more noticeable.

With a small frown, he hopped onto the roof to get a better look around. Despite his normally late behavior, he'd actually gotten to the arena on time. He'd noted that Sasuke had been missing, asked around, and had taken off shortly after Naruto's fight to search for Sasuke. It wasn't like Sasuke to not be here, and if he were in an area that Anbu were in he'd have already made it there. Which mean that he had to be here, and he had to be in some form of trouble.

Finally, he saw several blurs running around in circles around someone else a short ways away. He watched the jumping figures in suspicion for a moment, before catching a flash of the sleeve of the pursued.

The Uchiha fan. Realizing that it was Sasuke made him focus more on the pursuers, recognizing several of his pursuers as members of a mercenary group from a village a ways away. While it would be child's play for most any genin to take on mercenaries, Sasuke was obviously conserving his chakra for the fight. And considering what he'd seen from Gaara's fight, Sasuke needed every bit of chakra he had.

Flying over, he took out the mercenaries with a few quick strikes. They fell to the adjacent rooftops with a clatter, several falling off and painfully onto the ground below. Sasuke whipped around, his eyes wide in anticipation of another attack and a kunai in hand. When he saw who it was though, his entire countenance seemed to relax immediately. "Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask, glad to see his student relaxed by seeing him. His eye closed in a u-shaped smile as he returned to his aloof nature. "Yo. What's up Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked at him with an incredulous expression. Rolling his eyes, he schooled his face into its normal flat expression. "Nothing much, just the usual. Training, avoiding my crazed fans, and seeing what you like about being fashionably late."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Really? You never thought to just, I dunno, ask me?"

Sasuke shrugged. "You wouldn't have given me a straight answer."

"Too true!" Kakashi said, placing his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Now though, I think you're done trying to be hip like me. After all, you definitely shouldn't be messing around in the rich sector of town."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because you're _so cool_ Kakashi-sensei." Sasuke paused and narrowed his eyes at the comment. "Wait, the rich sector? What does that have to do with anything?"

Kakashi shrugged. "Well, Anbu are only on standby for this area instead of actively patrolling like most other sectors. Nobles are rich enough to get security seals on their property to keep people from breaking and entering, or alert the police force where to go. Anbu assigned her usually have a pretty lax job."

Sasuke's eye twitched as he thought over what he'd heard. "You mean…if I'd tried to break in, Anbu would have gotten those idiots off my back?"

"Yup."

"…Well that sucks." Sasuke muttered.

"Good to hear you get it."

Sasuke sighed. "That being said, how are we going to get there before it's my match? We're halfway across the village, and I'm pretty sure that Naruto isn't just going to slow down and wait for me. So how – Kakashi-sensei…what are you doing?"

"Hm?" Kakashi said, his hand forming a one handed seal while Sasuke hadn't been looking. "Oh this? This is for the Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique)."

"Eh?"

Before Sasuke could say anything else, Sasuke felt the ground beneath him shift violently as Kakashi propelled the two of them towards the stadium. Within a few moments, and with a swirl of leaves, they were standing in the middle of the arena.

"…verse Uchiha Sasuke."

"Sorry we're late, but Sasuke got ambushed by some mercenaries, and we had to deal with them before we got here." Kakashi said, looking as aloof as ever.

Sasuke blinked at the sudden change in scenery, trying to process what had just happened, before realizing what had been said. "Wait, so I made it on time? I can't believe the dobe's match took that long."

Genma shook his head with a small smirk. "Uchiha-san, Naruto's match only lasted maybe ten to fifteen minutes. You were moved to the end of the bracket to ensure that you'd be given enough time to get here before we simply let you forfeit." Genma shrugged as he remembered what he'd been told. "Apparently the Kazekage really thinks that your fight between you and his son will be a great promotional for Suna or something like that."

Sasuke nodded, not quite sure what that meant. Turning to the victor's booth, he raised an eyebrow at how many people were still there. "Uh, proctor?"

"Genma."

"Genma-san. Who's won so far?" Sasuke asked, noting the familiar spiky blonde hair shouting something or another about awesome entrance and being scared about something-or-another. He inwardly smirked. _'So the dobe didn't lose his match to Neji. Good, he's gotten stronger over the last month. I'm _so_ looking forward to when we fight.'_

"Well; Uzumaki defeated Hyuuga-san, Aburame-san defeated Abumi-san, and Sabaku no Temari beat Nara-san. The last match is now you verse Sabaku no Gaara…which begins as soon as Gaara-san gets down here and joins us."

"I see." Sasuke said. His eyes focused on Gaara, the red head looking remarkably out of it despite the eminent fight.

Kakashi smiled, patting Sasuke on his shoulder. "Good luck!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Like I need it."

**-xxxxx-**

Up in the stadium, Ebisu raised an eyebrow at Kakashi as he walked up besides him. "I see he made it in time for his fight."

Kakashi nodded. His didn't turn his attention to Ebisu completely, but he knew that Ebisu knew he was focused on what he was saying, or what he was going to say when Kakashi questioned him. It didn't take long before he was rewarded with the questions he was expecting. "What did you teach him over the past month?"

Ebisu smirked. "You'll see. And trust me, if he took a word of what I said to heart, it should be quite interesting to see."

A short ways away, Lee and Gai looked towards the stadium. They had taken more time getting to the arena due to Lee's injuries, and his desire to walk to the stadium on his own two feet. Which meant that they'd missed the first two matches, and were completely out of the know on who'd won thus far. Lee bit his lip, trying to see Neji or Naruto in the victor's stand, but was unable to from his position. "Kakashi-san, who…?"

Kakashi turned to Lee, smiling kindly behind his mask. "Naruto."

Lee's eyes widened, looking pained as he thought over what he'd just been told. _'So, Naruto-san has defeated my eternal rival. After all I've done…am I…weak?'_

"He caught Neji off guard." Kakashi continued, seemingly unaware of Lee's inner turmoil. "Apparently he used a technique that was similar to opening his Kaimon in order to push himself to get stronger. Neji figured it was like fighting you, and was unable to prepare for Naruto's surprises." Kakashi patted Lee on his shoulder. "In a way, Naruto only won because Neji thought he was still fighting you. You really must have left a lasting impression on Neji. I mean really, getting distracted by spandex? That's just not very chunin-like."

Lee's eyes widened as he thought about that. If that were true, then Naruto was still wearing the spandex he and his sensei had given to him after the second test. Naruto had fought and pushed himself forward for the sake of him; who couldn't fight Neji in his current state. Reigning himself, somewhat happier than he'd been a moment before, he watched on as Gaara and Sasuke faced off. He'd watch the fight, and do his best to be supportive of his fellow Konoha shinobi.

**-xxxxx-**

Gaara was not happy. His opponent, who he'd been looking forward to fighting all month long, had taken his sweet time arriving. Then, when he walked down and looked him in the eye, he realized that the person he wanted to fight wasn't there anymore. Instead someone else, someone more confident and relaxed, was standing before him.

He'd wanted to crush him. His eyes had been like his own; observing, untrusting, self-loving, _murderous_. And he'd reveled in the idea that there was someone like him out there that he could fight. And more importantly, who he could kill.

And then, over the break, something had happened. That desire to kill had been replaced. The untrusting, observant person still was there, but he had no desire to kill. At least, not in the same way he'd been before. And his love…it wasn't there.

Instead, it was like looking into Kankuro's eyes whenever he was working on a puppet. Inventive, curious, even a hint of mischievous there. It made him sick. Worse, it made 'mother' sick.

"The final match between Uchiha Sasuke and Sabaku no Gaara, begin!"

Gaara shot out a stream of sand, hoping to crush Sasuke quickly. Sasuke was quick on his feet though, and was able to jump back before it hit him. Strangely enough, it didn't continue chasing after him; instead it hovered above Gaara as he doubled over.

Grunting in pain, he gripped his forehead in pain. "I know mother, I see it. His eyes…he's gone. Don't worry, I'll get him back. Their blood was foul…but his, his will be delicious."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at Gaara's obviously deteriorated mental state. He'd seen Gaara during the preliminaries, but he'd been…controlled. Not quite crazy, but it had been there, just beneath the surface. When he lifted his head though, Gaara seemed to be just as fine as he had before.

Sasuke frowned in thought, going over every piece of equipment he had. After several seconds of thought, he smirked. "Here I come."

Reaching into his shuriken holster, he flicked his wrist and sent two shuriken towards Gaara. Gaara, not bothering to move, let his sand intercept it. After catching the shuriken, he then formed his sand into a Suna Bunshin (Sand Clone) and had it chuck the shuriken back. Not missing a beat, Sasuke dodged the two rather than retaliate and waste more shuriken and rushed forwards, forming three hand seals as he went.

"Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique!" He shouted, four copies of himself forming besides him. With a smirk, he dodged _into_ his clone, and began to weave amongst them.

Gaara's eyes darted among the clones as they too began to weave amongst each other, angrily trying to focus on the original. To make matters worse, none of the 'Sasuke's' were attempting to attack him. They were simply running circles around him with mocking expressions. Gaara, having enough, unleashed a small wave of sand towards the nearest group. The 'Sasuke' he hit disappeared immediately, and became the signal for an odd variation of attacking. Unfortunately, by attacking he revealed his position to Gaara, his sand coming up to block his hit, and did nothing to react to one of his clone's punches.

"I've found you Uchiha." Gaara said viciously. Before he could do anything though, Sasuke grinned and threw a small bag next to Gaara's face. His eyes widened as the small bag blew up in his face. Were it not for his sand, which moved faster than the explosion could go off; he might've actually been hurt from that stunt. Unfortunately, that little stunt had the adverse effect of releasing his prey. But then, that was just one of the many things that made Sasuke such a satisfying hunt; he had a killer instinct, would notice his more lethal advances, and would fight to stay alive. The chase was just another part of the hunt.

Sasuke frowned, thinking over his options. Gaara's sand was faster than his exploding packets, which meant they were faster than his explosive tags. His clones on their own weren't enough, so he'd have to think of something Gaara would never see coming. Something very un-Sasuke-like. Something…Naruto-like.

"Thank you for the idea Naruto. Alright Gaara, take this!" He shouted, one of his clones running alongside him as he pulled out a demon windmill shuriken. His clone rushed Gaara, his oversized shuriken trailing shortly behind him.

Gaara would have rolled his eyes had it not been for the fact that the shuriken was flying vertically behind the clone cutting his sight from completely seeing the oncoming shuriken. He was sure that his sand would block it, so he didn't bother doing anything. The clone passed through his barrier, followed by the shuriken. His sand didn't respond to the threat until it was just out of arms length, and didn't respond the way he expected the way he expected at all.

Instead of blocking vertically to prevent the blade of the shuriken from following through and hitting him, it went horizontal, blocking a kick aimed at his back. The other two went harmlessly through him, revealing Sasuke in his ever smirking glory.

"Well, obviously that's getting me nowhere."

Sasuke pushed himself back from Gaara, his hands reaching into his kunai pouch for a pair of explosive notes, tossing them quickly at Gaara in a rather bored manner. The explosions disrupted the sand briefly, not doing anything to actually harm Gaara. Gaara looked at his 'mutilated' sand before returning it to his gourd. No need to waste his chakra blocking pointless attacks like the ones Sasuke was currently using.

Sasuke took a deep breath as he ran through the ever familiar seals of his favorite technique. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Grand Fireball Technique)!"

A mid-sized fireball quickly leapt from his lips, barreling towards Gaara. With little more than a roll of his eyes, a wall of sand leapt up between himself and the fire. Another tendril of sand shot through the fire toward Sasuke, intending to crush him while he was off balanced.

Sasuke didn't bother being surprised by the technique, already knowing most of what Gaara could do from the prelims. Instead, he dodged at the last second and ran next to the sand tendril as he charged forwards. When he got within a short distance of the sand wall, he leapt onto the tendril and used it to launch himself into the air. With a smirk he jerked his hand back.

Gaara raised an eyebrow at the odd action until he saw what Sasuke was doing. Behind him, attached to a strand of chakra, was the fireball Sasuke had sent towards him not a moment before, swinging like a flame covered wrecking ball.

**-xxxxx-**

"Is that your doing?" Kakashi asked curiously. He'd recognized the shuriken trick from when Naruto had used it during their mission to Nami no Kuni; albeit, Naruto actually turned himself into a shuriken, whereas Sasuke just used an illusion to make himself look like one. This fireball technique though, was something new altogether.

Ebisu smirked, pushing his glasses up as he spoke. "No Kakashi-san, I didn't teach him that trick. That's something he thought up on his own."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, barely noticeable from behind his mask. "Oh? And how do you suppose he got the idea? What exactly did you teach him that made him think 'hm, I should throw a fireball at Gaara'?"

Ebisu shrugged. "I have absolutely no idea what could have make him think that particular thought. All I taught him were the basics, and how to use them in an…'outside the box' manner. Apparently, he tried it with more than just the basic three."

Kakashi seemed more surprised by that statement. "You didn't teach him anything beyond the basic three?"

Ebisu winced, waving his hands defensively. "No, I taught him more than that. Chakra control, advanced basic manipulation, and a few other things. The training I think I did the best on though was when I taught him how to think like a chunin would. After all, while there are times when a chunin has to get a job done, and there are always multiple things one could do to get it done, many of which would require less chakra. As you can see, Sasuke is using what Gaara knows –in ways he couldn't possibly expect– to probe his defenses for any sign of weakness for his final attack."

Kakashi nodded. There were plenty of chunin who had been promoted without being trained to think like that, and had paid for it later while on missions. Not only that, but it created a path for Sasuke he honestly hadn't thought of.

Sasuke always figured that he'd go in one day and kill his brother Itachi. The methods he'd thought of were currently unknown, which made him and pretty much everyone else who knew and understood even a little about Sasuke's past nervous. With this training, they just may have found a solution to that issue. After all with this unique bit of training, and thinking things through in a different way, Sasuke might just be more manageable in how he went about thinking over his revenge.

Ebisu raised an eyebrow, eyes still on the match. "Huh, well that's interesting."

Kakashi widened his eyes in surprise as he caught what Sasuke was doing. "Wow, he's really pulling out all of the stops. This will definitely be flashy. But will it be effective enough to stop Gaara?"

Ebisu shrugged. "I don't know. But as the saying goes; 'Don't tell people how to do something. Tell them what you want done, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.'"

"Well, I'm surprised." Kakashi admitted. He smirked as he saw what Sasuke had done, and wondered how he could do something similar. _'Well that's new. He might actually give Naruto a run for his money for being unpredictable if he keeps this up.'_

**-xxxxx-**

Sasuke whipped his hand around and slammed his fireball into Gaara's shield again; this time from the top portion. The shield though was able to take the brunt of the blow and shrugged it off effortlessly. Granted, while there was no 'weight' behind the attack, the flames by themselves were more than enough to warrant concern to most other opponents. Sasuke cursed as he dragged the fireball behind himself as he dodged another wave of sand from consuming him before whipping the fireball to strike again; without much apparent success.

Sasuke frowned. His plan had been simple so far; hit the sand as many times as possible to turn the majority of the sand to glass. Normally his fire wouldn't be hot enough to turn it to glass, at least by itself. But with the amount of times he was hitting the shield, it would take longer for his own chakra to run out before he won. And even then, he couldn't be sure.

He had no idea just how much sand was in the gourd on Gaara's back, which was why he was subtly trying to aim mainly for Gaara's back to get him to draw out more sand. But with the few times he was hitting, he wasn't able to see how much he had.

"Alright, I guess it's time to change gears." Sasuke muttered. Drawing the fire back, he clapped his hands together and focused his chakra. With a bit of exertion, he drew his hands apart, a fireball flying about the tip of each finger. "Let's dance."

**-xxxxx-**

"Oh my gosh, Sasuke-kun looks so hot!"

"…was that a fire joke?"

Ino scowled at Naruto, who simply gave her a confused look. "No you baka, you know what I meant!" Ino turned back to the fight and squealed again. "Plus, his outfit is so totally awesome! It's fashionably tasteful, and fully functional!"

Naruto gave Shino a pained glance. "Shino, is Hinata anything like this?"

"Not that I'm aware of." Shino said, smiling behind his collar at the question. While generally a thick skulled blunder, Naruto apparently did understand _something_ about women. Mainly that one should avoid epic fan girls at all costs; they could be more trouble than they were worth.

Unfortunately, Shino had accidentally diverted Ino's attention. "I'm sorry, but was Naruto just asking about Hinata?" Her eyes narrowed, smirking as she rubbed her hands together. The gossip queen of their age group was now all ears. "Details!"

Naruto looked between the slightly nervous Shino, and the crazed Ino. "Uh, I was wanted to know if she acted like that to make sure I don't accidentally set her off. It's bad enough with you and Sakura, I don't need _another_ crazy girl trying to kill me because I say stupid stuff."

Ino frowned, twitching in righteous female anger. "Crazy?"

"Yeah, crazy. You and Sakura get all crazy and yell whenever Sasuke's around or gets mentioned. It's…troublesome." Naruto said. It took a moment, but Naruto eventually flinched as he realized what he'd done.

Shino's eyes darted behind his sunglasses, his mind quickly trying to come up with some kind of way to divert her attention. "Cinnamon buns."

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Hinata goes crazy if one were to insult cinnamon buns. Avoid that, and you'll be fine." Shino replied, sighing silently as he saw Ino slink back, satisfied by the 'juicy gossip'.

"Wow, that's weird." Naruto muttered. Thinking it over though, he figured it was probably something he should have expected. After all, she was a weird girl.

Shino raised an eyebrow. "Would it be weird if you defended ramen?"

"Hey! Don't go there Shino! Ramen is the Kami's food, and should it be insulted, I will not let it slide." Naruto said, whipping around to Shino with an oddly angry look. In the back of his head though, he wondered if cinnamon buns were all that great. He'd never had one. _'Hm…maybe I should try some sometime.'_

Dosu chuckled at the odd sight before him, wondering if all Konoha shinobi were as crazy as Naruto was. Temari shrugged them off, trying to keep her focus on her future opponents, and the fight at the same time. Unlike Dosu, she was taking the upcoming invasion seriously, and wanted to make sure that whenever it began she was ready. Being blindsided by Konoha shinobi who realized they were under attack, and that she was now an enemy, wouldn't do at all.

In the corner, Shikamaru gripped the railing tightly. Sasuke wasn't losing, but he wasn't winning either. He was currently the only one who knew just what a monster Gaara was, and just how willing he was to kill them. He placed his hands in the comforting seal his family used to focus. He needed to think of some way to keep things from getting out of hand.

If only he knew.

**-xxxxx-**

With a smirk, Sasuke thanked his training in wire manipulation for what he was about to do. Spinning around, he whipped the flames into multiple parts of the shield, he began probing Gaara's defenses. Amazingly, the sand was in fact capable of defending from practically every angle he could think of. And the strange part was that he didn't seem to be doing anything while he pounded away at him. It was beginning to get on his nerves.

Clenching two of his fingers together, he yanked back on them to launch a larger strike on Gaara's right. Like he'd thought, the sand came up, and completely blocked the technique. Rushing forwards and leaping over Gaara, he brought all ten fireballs to bear as they slammed into Gaara. With a groan of frustration, he realized that Gaara had simply surrounded himself with sand in a complete barrier around himself. Pulling his fire back to himself, he let it float aimlessly for a moment while he thought through his next action.

_'Okay…his defense is automatic, and completely defends him from any and all attacks. Damn.'_ Sasuke inwardly mussed as he rushed forwards, leaping over Gaara again. By this point, Gaara had grown tired of his jumping and lashed out with a tendril of sand. Sasuke's eyes widened as he realized what was going to happen. _'Oh crap. This is gonna –'_

Gripped by the tendril, he was quickly whipped away from Gaara and sent rolling across the arena. His concentration shot, he felt his fireballs fall around Gaara as the chakra was cut from his fingers. Rolling and tumbling, he pushed himself up and shook his head to clear it of the pain. He rubbed his ribs, quickly probing for broken ribs. Luckily, he was only bruised as far as he could tell.

_'…hurt.'_ Sasuke inwardly muttered. For all the fireworks, Sasuke was the one losing at the moment, and it was really starting to get on his nerves.

Staring down Gaara, he went through his options. Physically, he was no Lee. Lee was superior in his speed and power, and had trained for over a year to get as good as he had. It would take nothing short of ripping himself apart to get that fast in a month's time. That meant that just physically breaking down Gaara's shield was out. He'd tried turning the sand to glass, but that had its obvious downsides. The small amount of damage he'd managed to do to the sand was quickly negated when Gaara noticed the damage and just let the glass fall from his sand, though only a few pieces actually fell out. Which meant he had to think of something fast if he wanted a shot at winning this.

Gaara scowled at Sasuke's attempts, quickly smothering the fire around him. Despite his nonchalant attitude, the heat was starting to get to him. He, who'd lived in the desert for years, covered in an extra layer of sand, having the heat get to him? It just proved how Sasuke's perseverance had begun to pay off. Luckily for Gaara, Sasuke didn't have infinite chakra, and wasn't likely to continue using a chakra intensive technique like that.

Sasuke rubbed his chin in thought. His list of useful techniques had gone down immensely from the beginning of the fight. Fire didn't do anything useful, his explosives didn't do anything to hurt Gaara (as far as he could see), and he wasn't fast enough to outrun the sand forever.

However…there was _that_ technique…

Gaara frowned, his sand moving about restlessly. "If you are going to continue to bore me, I'll just have to kill you now."

Gaara's sand rushed forwards, intent on crushing Sasuke. Cursing, Sasuke activated his Sharingan for the first time in the fight and dodged away from the sand. Using the Sharingan's ability to observe chakra movement, he dodged and twisted around the flurry of sand spikes that attempted to catch him. Not backing down, Sasuke whipped another kunai towards Gaara. His eye began twitching as a small bit of sand leapt in front of him and caught the kunai. "Okay, that 'automatic defense' thing is really starting to get on my nerves!"

Slapping his hands against the ground, he used a quick burst of chakra to launch himself towards Gaara. Gaara narrowed his eyes at Sasuke's forwardness. "Weak." However, just as Gaara was about to move his sand to intercept Sasuke, he came to an abrupt stop in front of Gaara. Flashing through the hand seals for his renown technique, he took a deep breath. "You already know it won't work. Just hold still and –"

"Enmaku Dangan no Jutsu (Smokescreen Bullet Technique)!" Sasuke shouted, a wave of smoke rushing Gaara.

Gaara's eyes widened, his sand not coming up immediately to protect him. Despite its name, and obvious affinity, the technique was rather harmless. Were he anyone else, he would have leapt out of the smoke and laughed at Sasuke for his technique. However, he was Sabaku no Gaara, an assassin slayer, and particularly psychopathic genin who just so happened to be the son of the Kazekage. He didn't laugh at such things; he choked.

Sasuke grinned as he heard Gaara's reaction to his technique within the smoke. 'Grabbing' some of the smoke near him, he sent a quick stream of chakra through the entirety of the smoke cloud. "Enmaku Kyuu (Smokescreen Coffin)."

**-xxxxx-**

Ebisu grinned, nodding towards Sasuke on the ground. While he couldn't see it, acknowledging his pupils success felt good for him. After all, it was nice to see results from his training.

"Game, set, match."

* * *

AN: What? Did you guys really think that he wouldn't win? Come on people! Just because he's made of awesome, doesn't mean that everyone can hate on him. After all, Kakashi verse a bunch of mercenaries? Who do you think would win?

…okay that was just ridiculous. Worth it, but ridiculous.

As you can see, Sasuke has won. There were at least two obvious fire jokes that I _had_ to put in, as well as some perspective on Kakashi and Sasuke's different training times. Yeah, the basics can do _that_. All haters in the house either bow down to the epicness of the basics, or send in your complaints viva the review button below. I'm open to both since I should get reviews either way.

Just to make sure this doesn't go over anyone's head; the fight isn't completely over just yet. I'm going to add a bit more Gaara's perspective…maybe in the next chapter. You might just be surprised by what my mind has rationalized for Sasuke's victory.

And no one complain about the length of the fight! Sasuke's cannon fight was short too…and he had the freaking Chidori in his arsenal! This is just another method to the same (but DIFFERENT!) result.

Oh, and as you can (hopefully) tell, I like using Shino as a catalyst like Han'ishiki. He's a good guy, and deserves better than he's currently getting. I plan on using him more often than Kishi has…for more things. Because he's awesome like that!

Next time on Word of Honor: _Beat of the War Drum._ The invasion begins…and a few other evil plot things authors have to deal with.


	21. The Last Preparations

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. I do not. Heck, I don't even own this story! I'm just transcribing the insane ramblings of my muse.

* * *

**Word of Honor**

_Chapter 21: The Last Preparations_

Kabuto looked down into the arena, his Anbu disguise working perfectly for the time being. After all he'd been through with Orochimaru, a rookie Anbu had nothing on his skill, and was quick to dispatch. He almost wished that he'd put up more of a fight, rather than die so easily. But then, that wouldn't have worked well for the plan.

Having watched the previous fights, he had to say he was feeling mildly impressed with some of the Konoha genin. Uzumaki Naruto in particular had proven to be quite enjoyable seeing fight. He had been the underdog in the first fight, against the Hyuuga genius no less, yet he'd managed to pull off a 'lost' technique and win. He'd actually heard of it before, though only in passing once from Orochimaru. Truly, he was beyond what he'd expected him to be; regardless of being the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. From what he knew, Konoha had no method of training a jinchuuriki to utilize the power within themselves. Plus, his natural skill shouldn't have been as high as it was due to his age. It was something to look into.

He hadn't really batted an eyelash when Zaku had lost. Of course, since Zaku _was_ an Oto shinobi, he figured he'd have to have someone grab him before they left to return to Otogakure. After all, small fry though he was, it was always useful to have a staunch loyalist who was willing to follow Orochimaru regardless of what happened. After all, one didn't just hold still while metal rods were stitched into their arms. It was in bad practice to give a potentially traitorous person a way to perform seal-less jutsu.

The other fights made him rather bored with the lack of latent ability they all showed, though Sasuke's current match was intriguing at this point. He'd seen some techniques like that –mainly from his 'studies'– and the fact that he'd pulled it off without some kind of bloodline was quite the accomplishment. After all, most people wouldn't expect a flail of fire to come slamming down on them regardless of any training.

However, due to his current technique, Sasuke had now become quite the nuisance for their plan. If Gaara was rendered unconscious before the invasion began, Suna would lose their 'trump card', and a part of their forces might get discouraged due to that and that would get them killed before they were able to complete their part of the plan. It wouldn't change their overall plans, but Suna would lose more of their shinobi force.

Behind his Anbu mask, he looked up towards the Kage box in anticipation. For a moment there was nothing. Then a small pulse of chakra seemed to resonate from the box, making Kabuto grin. Slowly, he placed his hands together and formed the seals for the genjutsu that would put everyone in the stadium to sleep.

"Show time." Kabuto mutter, grinning as the chakra began to fill the expanse of the stadium.

**-xxxxx-**

Swish, swish, click. Swish, swish, click. Swish, swish –

"Will you quit that already? It's getting annoying."

"Nope." Swish, click.

Tadao watched his two companions bicker from across the room. He had been listening to them bicker since he'd gotten back, and his already grated nerves were beginning to wear thin. He couldn't just snap at them though, as it would be out of character, and he didn't want to draw suspicion towards himself.

"Hey Tadao!" The girl yelled, pouting as she turned towards him. "Can you kill him for me?"

Tadao thanked the gods of luck for this. "I can't just kill him Ayame. Besides, Izo-sensei has told you time and again not to provoke him."

Ayame just giggled. Fiddling with the butterfly knife in her hand, she began to whirl it around again. Tadao always found her appearance –or rather, her clothing choice– to be somewhat odd. She wore a lime green bandana over her eyes and top of her hair; completely covering the top portion, but leaving enough pale blonde hair to fall into two bound braids that she let fall in front of her shoulders. She had a pale brown shirt that looked as though it was too small for her; coming up to expose most of her stomach. Her pants on the other hand seemed a size to large, falling loosely around her waist with only a barely tied belt keeping it from falling off her. For the most part, she walked around without any shoes on, and now was no exception. It was a very risqué outfit that served no real purpose than to draw attention to herself. It also detracted from the fact that she was very, very lethal with her set of skills.

"Tadao…"

Tadao turned to the other male in the room, his eye twitching in aggravation. Unlike Ayame, his pale blond hair spiked in the front, covering most of the upper portion of his face, while a red bandana with shark-like teeth sewn into the fabric covered the lower half. He wore a thick, fur-lined jacket that was obviously to large for him, as it fell over his hands. His pants were no different; thick, and fur lined. Tadao didn't want to know what he'd done that made him so consistently cold, but he'd decided long ago to avoid asking. He usually appeared intimidating, but his timid voice spoke otherwise.

"Ayame, please stop that." Tadao said as he turned back to Ayame. She pouted, but put her knife away.

Fidgeting, he looked towards the stadium. They knew the signal for the invasion, as it was their informants cover, but hadn't heard or seen anything as of yet. He didn't necessarily have to be there, seeing as there were at least two other teams hovering over them. Normally, this would have given him some measure of comfort. Today, he felt like he was boxed in.

He shook his head. He _had _to be here. If he wasn't, he couldn't be certain that the Ne Anbu would see the transaction and attempt to do what was 'best' for Konoha. Mostly meaning they'd try and kill them. He knew that he'd likely get out without too much difficulty, but the others…not so easy. Even with his 'abilities', he was going to have to watch his back to make sure that no one tried to follow them

He smiled behind his mask. That was the back up plan; lead Ne to their hideout and have them tell 'good old Danzo' about them. War hawk though he may be, that attitude would be what would help him now. For all his faults, he could definitely use one to his advantage of.

Swish, swish, click. Swish, swish, click.

Resigning him self to listening to Ayame continue to grate on everyone's already high strung nerves, he relaxed. It was just another day betraying the trust of everyone he knew. All he had to do now was watch and wait.

**-xxxxx-**

Anko felt her breath hitch as she clutched her flaming shoulder. The Sandaime had placed special seal to help prevent it from acting up, and to allow her to force her former sensei's seal back to keep it from corrupting her. But now, there was something new. Something that the Sandaime's seal didn't stop like it normally would. And so, for the past month, she'd had spiking pain.

'_No, not the whole month.'_ Anko mentally corrected herself. _'The first couple of days, I was fine. It was shortly after the genin left the tower that this stupid seal started making my life hell.'_

Groaning as another wave of pain wracked her body, spiking from her shoulder as she tried to push it back with sheer force of will. It abated for a brief second before crashing back upon her with more force than before. She let out a strangulated cry as she fell to the ground.

She hated pain, almost as much as she hated her sensei. It was a constant reminder of Orochimaru's 'training methods' and of what she'd seen other people be forced to go through when they'd been apart of his experiments. Not even her memory loss could prevent her from hearing their screams in her constant nightmares. And now, she'd had a continuous pain that was shooting through her for every waking moment.

She grimaced, trying to close her eyes and get _some_ sleep. Due to the pain, she'd been unable to sleep for the past month except for the brief moments when the pain had simply made her numb and she'd passed out. Each time though, it had returned with greater force, and it returned to the same cycle it she'd been in while awake.

"Just a moment…just a moment." She whispered, clenching her eyes as another wave of pain pulsed from her shoulder.

This time though, a thought came to her. _'Release the seal.'_

Her eyes shot open, gritting her teeth. "No. That's just what he wants."

'_You have to release the seal.'_

"No way in hell!" She spat out, furious at the very thought of using the seal. "If I use the seal, I lose."

'_If you don't you'll die.'_

That thought brought her up short. Or rather, the way it sounded as though it _knew_ what would happen. This was not a passing thought she'd had throughout the month; this was something new altogether. "O-Orochimaru?"

'_You don't understand, you need to release the seal.'_

"I'd rather die than release the seal!" She shouted. She tried to push herself back up, but collapsed again when pain shot through her.

'_Ah, how nostalgic. There's that's little viper I remember.' _

Anko felt bile rise in the back of her throat at the familiar pet name. "Screw you teme."

'_So full of bite, and never bothering to see the big picture.'_

"What's there to see? You corrupting me?"

'_No, you resisting something that has no hold over you.'_

Anko would have shot back a resort, but in that brief moment, she hesitated. And in that moment of hesitation, the pain lessened. Her vision cleared up, and she suddenly felt better than she had in years. She forgot the fact that she'd had only fleeting moments of rest for a month as she stood, taking in the foreign, and yet comforting feeling.

She never noticed the faint explosion, signaling the invasion. She didn't notice the movement from outside, or the faint shouts until they were just outside her door. And when she did, she frowned for a moment before it widened into a snake-like smirk. "Now who's dumb enough to come _here?_"

Opening the door, she peaked her head out the door, at the end of the hall, she noticed a small group of Oto shinobi leap off the roof. One of the lagging members paused, noticing her poking her head out. Slowly, her vicious, predatory, and very snake-like smile grew wider her face as she leapt at him.

Unknown to her, beneath her collar the curse seal slowly leaked out small flame-like marks, slowly rising up her neck.

**-xxxxx-**

Explosives, poison, kunai, falling debris, Gaara had seen it all used in a lethal manner. Mainly against himself in various assassination attempts. However, there was one method that Suna hadn't tried, mainly because they _couldn't_. Water.

In Suna, due to the fact that it was a desert, water was scarce. To use such a valuable resource to kill a single person would be considered both suicidal, and reckless. Not only that, but to attempt to use it to weaken his defenses would be pointless anyways, since they were surrounded by sand that was his main weapon. As such, he had little experience dealing with those who would use water to slip past his defenses. He was smart though, and figured that water would be the only thing he'd have to potentially be wary of in the future.

This however, was something he hadn't expected altogether; smoke. It was the only thing that he couldn't be expected to anticipate, due once again to the structure of Suna. Made mostly of sand, not many things were flammable. Anything that was, was worked around to ensure that it wouldn't become an issue. As such, fire was a problem that occurred so rarely that most put potential fire hazards out of their minds. After all, what could they possibly burn? The sand? Granted, the Uchiha's fire had fused some of his sand into glass, but that was an easy fix.

Now though, Gaara had fallen to his knees, finding himself unable to breath, and his vision slowly becoming blurry. The smoke hadn't crashed upon him all that fast, but his recognition of the eminent threat had been too slow. Now, even his Suna no Yoroi (Armor of Sand) had proven useless against the smoke. After all, he needed _air_ to function properly, and the thick smoke obscured that immensely.

Coughing and hacking, he tried to push himself to his feet. He could feel his breath becoming shorter and more rapidly. He couldn't understand what was happening to him; it was almost like he was panicking. But he didn't panic. He was Sabaku no Gaara. Others panicked from his mere presence. For him to be panicking, there had to be something he was forgetting.

"**Shhhh Gaara-chan. Just go to sleep, I'll take care of it."**

"Mother." He rasped out.

And there it was; the thing he'd almost forgotten about. As the smoke inhalation slowly burnt in his throat, he was slowly but surely falling closer to unconsciousness. And as soon as that happened, the Ichibi would be released. He normally wouldn't seem to care about releasing the Ichibi, as it was a weapon that he could set loose upon his enemies, but he wanted to make sure that it was only released by his own power. Now though, the Ichibi was right there, and it was all the Uchiha's fault.

By this point, his eyes had become too watery to see much of anything, and he closed his eyes in an attempt to keep the smoke from filtering in. It helped a little bit, though it also made things worse as he saw the Ichibi grinning at him. He returned its grin with a scowl of his own.

"**You haven't fed me the Uchiha's blood Gaara-chan. Sleep, and I'll take care of it."**

"N-no." He said, the smoke once again making him sputter as he fell to the ground. He couldn't tell how close he was to unconsciousness anymore, his closed eyes not making it any easier to tell.

A small explosive sound echoed around himself and the Ichibi. The Ichibi's head snapped up, growling at the sudden, foreign sound. Although he didn't understand, he felt a small wave of relief as the smoke that had once been crushing was suddenly lifted. He tried to open his eyes to see what was happening, but could only see blurry images as he looked through his teary eyes.

Which was why he had some difficulty believing that he saw his sister standing over him with her battle fan between himself, and the Uchiha.

**-xxxxx-**

Sasuke was very, very confused. He was pretty certain that he'd been about to win his match, what with the smoke completely boxing Gaara in, when the Suna girl –Temari, if he remembered right– started screaming at him. He'd ignored her, as he was trying to focus on the fight, but soon found himself distracted again by something new. Feathers falling around the stadium.

Which somehow had lead to the wind technique Temari had used in the preliminaries blowing away his smoke, people collapsing, and the proctor and Suna jonin between himself and his opponent glaring each other down.

"Gaara, the plan…" The Suna jonin said, looking down at Gaara.  
Gaara looked up at him with half lidded eyes before they widened further and vomited. The jonin looked surprised by this, but didn't appear nearly as surprised as Temari at the red flecks within the vomit. "He's bleeding from the inside! He breathed in too much smoke." Temari looked up at her sensei with concerned eyes. "I don't think he'll be able to change right now."

The Suna jonin scowled, looking between Gaara and Sasuke. "Will he be able to do it if he recovers in time?"

Temari's eyes widened, and slowly shook her head. "Not here. He's too vulnerable now. If I take him away, I can buy us some time for him to recover, but it can't be here."

The jonin didn't take his eyes off Genma, slowly shifting his weight in front of his team. "Go then. Retreat and regroup with Kankuro. When he's ready, bring him back."

Temari nodded, picking up Gaara before sprinting away. Sasuke looked between the two jonin before looking back up at the victors stand. Three other genin were there, motioning for him to follow them. Looking at Genma, he spoke slowly. "Will you need my help?"

Genma frowned, shaking his head. "No, I've got this. You're at chunin level as it is, so make yourself useful. Go!"

Sasuke nodded, bolting towards the other genin. Leaping up the walls, he motioned for them to follow him. Not bothering to turn back, he chased after Gaara and Temari, knowing that they would follow him.

A moment later the other three were besides him. _'Shikamaru, Shino, and Naruto. Awesome, all people I know. This'll make things so much easier.' _He thought as they leapt over the roofs.

"Hey Sasuke, what did the proctor tell you to do?" Naruto asked, eyes darting around as he saw Suna and Oto shinobi attacking Konoha shinobi. He was very thankful that Shino had been with him to keep the genjutsu from making him pass out, or else he'd have missed what was currently going on.

"He said to make myself useful, so I'm chasing Gaara down." Sasuke said, glancing at Shikamaru out of the corner of his eye. It was subtle, but Shikamaru seemed nervous about something or another. The strange part was that he'd only noticed after he mentioned Gaara. "Hey Shikamaru, you okay?"

Shikamaru nodded slowly. "Yeah, just trying to think over what the plan is." He chewed on his lip as he caught glimpses of other battles raging about. "This seems planned out, and I think we're missing something."

Shino nodded, his eyes unseen behind his glasses. "I'm certain there is, however, we must focus on the task at hand."

"Alright then," Sasuke said as he focused ahead. "We take out Gaara and his sister, then we – "  
"Wait!"

Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Shino all nearly lost their footing as they tried to stop in midair. Glaring at Naruto, Sasuke resisted the urge to grind his teeth together. "What Naruto?"

Naruto's eyes were wide, darting between the three other genin and somewhere else in the city. "Has anyone warned the Academy about what's going on?"

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. "No, but I bet they heard the Kage's booth get attacked."

"Uh-oh." Naruto said, looking possibly more panicked than before. "The Academy students will be sitting ducks! We gotta help them!"

And suddenly, they understood what he was saying. Sasuke was the first to speak. "You don't think?"

"It's possible. After all, taking out the youth would make the next generation far weaker." Shino said, responding with a calculated response. He was actually somewhat surprised that he, Sasuke, or Shikamaru hadn't thought of it first.

"But there are chunin to protect them!" Sasuke said.

"And how many Oto shinobi can they take?" Shikamaru countered. His face was scrunched in thought as he placed his hands together. "Not only that, but if they focus on the Oto shinobi too much, the students could get attacked. It's a lose-lose scenario for them right now." Shikamaru turned to Naruto. "Do you have anything else you want to input?"

Naruto blinked, realizing that he was being brought back into the conversation. "Uh, yeah. We still need to chase Gaara and his sister." Noticing the odd looks, he explained. "Well, they're supposed to be the Kazekage's kids right? So if we get them – "

"We might be able to stop Suna's assault." Shino finished, catching Naruto's sporadic though process.

The three genin looked at Naruto in surprise. It shouldn't have shocked them as he wasn't really that predictable, but this was once again a step in a new direction for them. Normally, this would make Sasuke somewhat frustrated as he _should_ have thought of it first. However, with his training and both Shino and Shikamaru not thinking of it either, he felt secure in what he was going to say next.

"Alright Naruto, what's the plan?"

Naruto tapped his chin in thought, thinking over what they were going to do. A couple seconds later, he snapped his fingers. "Alright, here's what we'll do. Sasuke, you and Shikamaru will head to the Academy to help the instructors. Shino and I will keep following Gaara and his sister."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at that. "Any reason why?"

Naruto nodded. "You have that shadow hold thingy that can hold people in place, and Sasuke has lots of long ranged attacks. Which means Sasuke will be able to stay with the instructors, while firing off fireballs at enemies that you hold down. Me and Shino on the other hand have to get close to our opponents to fight effectively, but we have attacks that can stop people without killing them, so we'll be able to get them without anyone else getting hurt by a stray attack."

"Plus, if the Academy students are in distress, I can track you with my kikaichuu." Shino added, holding a finger up with a little bug twitching on the edge of his nail.  
Naruto blinked, his eyes wide as he took that bit in. "You can do that?"

"Of course. I've got on one Gaara's sister as well." Shino replied, inwardly smiling at Naruto's shock.

Shikamaru and Sasuke looked at one another, silently agreeing with Naruto's statement; especially since Shino was obviously backing him up. Turning back, Sasuke nodded. "Alright then. Shikamaru and I will head over to the Academy. You two catch Gaara, and try and keep whatever his part in their plan is from happening. Now, you guys need to remember something," Sasuke closed his eyes, remembering some of Ebisu's teachings. "This is for more than us. This is for the whole of Konoha, and we need to put our all into this counterattack." Opening his eyes, he grinned. "So you better win Naruto."

Naruto grinned. "Like I'd just let you have the time to shine? Just you watch Sasuke! We'll get Gaara, and then we'll come and save you guys from getting your butts kicked!"

"Troublesome." Shikamaru muttered. He couldn't keep the smile from his face though, and nodded to both Naruto and Shino. "Be careful, Gaara's more dangerous than he looks."

Naruto just laughed, sounding oddly ominous as he spoke. "Yeah? Well, I'm _way_ more dangerous than I look."

Shikamaru and Shino nodded, remembering his defeat of Neji. Sasuke on the other hand, was more out of the loop. "Just be careful, okay? If Shikamaru says he's tough, don't underestimate him…and don't hold back either. He's no pushover."

Naruto nodded. "Got it." Turning to Shino, he grinned. "Come on Shino, let's go!"

The two of them took of, chasing after the sand siblings. Sasuke nodded to Shikamaru. "Let's go."

"Alright, I'm coming." Shikamaru muttered, leaping after Sasuke as they raced across the rooftops. Each group had their respective missions, and would both be necessary for their futures survival.

If only they understood just how much this would change.

**-xxxxx-**

Sakura was panicking. People had fallen asleep all around her while others were dying, and now she was ducking under her seat in fear of the Oto shinobi's attack.

She felt so alone, and so weak. She hadn't been able to find any of her former classmates to sit with, so she'd sat alone surrounded by strangers. They were all civilians, so she actually knew some of the people from when her parents had taken her out with them. They had helped make her feel safe.

Now though, they only reminded her that she was just barely stronger than they were. Because she had felt it coming, she had been able to avoid succumbing to the influence of the foreign genjutsu. Seeing that the foreign shinobi were only attacking those who'd remained awake though make her realize that staying awake wasn't that great of an idea.

She bit back a scream as another shinobi leapt over her. It was harder than it looked to remain calm when there was a small scale war raging around her. She shuddered as she heard the death cries of many shinobi, none of which she had heard before. That mean she had no idea who was alive, and who was dead. It was probably better that way.

"Well, look at this." An oily voice from above her said slowly, making her tense up. "A little genin is awake and trying to stay out of sight. How sickeningly sweet."

She could hear the kunai being drawn from its pouch, slowly, as to grate on her nerves. Whatever psychological torment he was thinking of, it was obviously working. Sakura felt herself slowly turn into a quivering mass of fear; shaking from the few other sounds she could hear.

"Say goodbye." The shinobi said, obviously raising his kunai for the kill.

"Goodbye."

Sakura's eyes widened at the familiar voice, a crash next to her drawing her from her fetal state. With a smile, her savior looked down upon her, the lower half of his face covered, and a scar running through the middle of his left eye.

"Yo." Kakashi said, trying to keep the illusion of melancholy. In truth, he was startled that Sakura had broken the genjutsu, though he did remember that she was more than proficient enough to do so in the Academy. With her awake, he now needed to ensure that she was safe, along with all the civilians in the arena. "What are you doing here?"

Sakura couldn't speak, looking at Kakashi through water filled eyes. In her mind, Sasuke was startlingly forced away for a moment as she stared at her sensei. She'd never once thought that someone could look at her with such a compassionate look. Granted, the closest she'd seen was when Sasuke had been nice to her on the park bench after they'd been put onto their teams. And, though she'd never thought about it, she'd never seen the scar over Kakashi's eye where the Sharingan was implanted. She knew he'd uncovered it when he fought Zabuza, but had honestly never seen what had lay beneath the headband. Now though, it was like looking at a different person.

"Sakura, are you okay?" Kakashi asked concernedly. She was spacing out more than usual, and he was beginning to worry.

"Yes Kakashi-sensei."

"Good. I need you to move to a safer location. This place is getting hit pretty hard, and I can't protect you and everyone else at the same time."

Sakura flinched. For the first time in a long time, she truly understood the depths of her weakness. With Naruto and Sasuke around, she felt she still had _some_ merit. As a cheerleader, but still. Now though, with only herself, her sensei, and a horde of enemies, she was forced to fully open her eyes. She was pathetically weak in comparison.

"H-hai Kakashi-sensei."

**-xxxxx-**

Meanwhile, in another part of the stadium, Kiba cursed under his breath as he shuttled Hinata to another corner of the stands. "Damn it, we are so screwed."

Hinata would have said something, but was too busy trying to breath. She clenched her eyes shut, trying not to cough up anymore blood. When the Hokage's box was suddenly destroyed, Hinata had panicked. And apparently that had turned out to be a very, very bad thing. The old wounds that Neji had inflicted on her in the preliminaries had reopened slightly, and she was incapable of fighting or doing much of anything. She would have been caught up in the genjutsu, but the pain of reality quickly snapped her out of it. She was just glad that Kiba didn't fall to the genjutsu either, or else she'd be stuck by herself in the middle of an invasion having a panic attack.

Hinata stumbled as she ran forwards, feeling the pain in her chest shoot through her as she retched again. Nothing came out, but she felt a burning sensation in the back of her throat. She sucked in a thick breath, trying to force it back without further injuring herself. It felt like her chest was being ripped in half, but somehow she moved herself forwards.

Kiba's nose scrunched at the faint smell that lingered on Hinata's lips. He'd never fully gotten over how the smell of vomit smelled, especially with his chakra enhanced nose. While normally an Inuzuka wouldn't channel their chakra into their nose often, Kiba did periodically and knew what a lot of miscellaneous smells smelt like. Of course, since they were in battle, he definitely needed his smell to keep himself and Hinata from getting caught off guard by some random Oto shinobi. It would have been easier if Hinata had been cleared to use chakra so she could use her Byakugan to see completely around them, and not guess with shots in the dark like he had to.

"Come on, we're almost safe." Kiba muttered, moving Hinata further away from the fighting in their area. They had been lucky enough to have several chunin around them who had immediately leapt into action and begun to counter Oto and Suna's attack.

"I-I can't." Hinata muttered, stumbling and nearly falling down the steps, held up only by Kiba's supporting arm.

"Yes you can, now come on!" Kiba said through clenched teeth, several new smells getting stronger as he spoke.

"Ha, so there were some low life's in the crowd."  
Kiba cursed as he glanced behind himself. Three Oto shinobi stood, smirking up at them. He knew that if his smell were as accurate as some of the other Inuzuka's, they wouldn't have gotten as close as they had before he'd realized they were there. As gently as he could, he tried to slip his arm from around Hinata to better get into a fighting stance.

At that exact moment though, Hinata was struck by a fit of coughing. Without his support, she fell to her hands and knees as she spit out blood that had collected in her throat. Kiba twisted to his fallen teammate, remembering too late that he was facing off against three shinobi. As soon as he did, they were rushing him; too fast to counter, and aimed mainly towards attacking Hinata, who was down. Kiba growled, preparing to throw himself at them to protect his teammate.

Before he could move though, a blur of grey and white flew past him. For one brief moment, the Oto shinobi's eyes widened. Then, they were thrown backwards by some force that knocked them back into the arena.

Kiba stared, gob smacked at what he'd just seen. Taking a moment, he looked over his newest ally, hesitantly stepping in front of Hinata just in case. It was only then that he saw the flame-like symbol of the Hyuuga clan.

"Stand down Inuzuka-san."

Kiba felt himself relax at the calm, collected voice. While obviously not _meant_ to calm him, just knowing who it was gave him a renewed sense of hope. "Hai, Hiashi-sama."

"What happened?"

"Hinata panicked when the Hokage's box blew up, and…and I think her old wounds reopened." Kiba said, quickly picking Hinata up. By this point, Hinata had passed out from the pain, and would be more difficult for Kiba to move on his own. With Hiashi to help, there was hope for them.

"I see." Hiashi looked down at his daughter, his Byakugan gazing at her chakra circulatory system. Seeing the wounds that had been inflicted, and just how damaged they actually were made him flinch. "We'll have to get her to the nearest hospital as quickly as possible."

Kiba nodded, trying to reposition her as quickly as possible. Before he could move too much though, Hiashi had already taken her from his hands. "What? But aren't you – "

"I must do what is good for the clan." Hiashi whispered, looking at her with a partly veiled gentleness that he hadn't shown in years. Snapping his head back to Kiba, he quickly reassumed his 'normal' posture. "Return to your clan, and give whatever assistance you can to them."

Kiba's eyes widened. "Oh crap, I totally spaced the dishes! Kaa-san's gonna kill me!"

Hiashi raised an eyebrow as he watched Kiba bolt away. Clutching Hinata tightly to his chest, his frown seemed to deepen. "Yes, what is good for the clan." He muttered as he brushed her hair from her face. "For my family."

* * *

AN: And…cut!

This. Chapter. Was. A. PAIN! Mainly due to the fact that I wanted to show how Naruto's kinda grown up, while showing that same growth in Sasuke. It was _way_ harder than it needed to be, believe it.

I also had an argument with my muse during the writing of this chapter. My muse wanted to set up something for future chapters, but it requires some pretty heavy stuff. When I tried arguing…I got writers block. Freaking muse wins every argument.

Anyways, I'm sure you've noticed that I'm really attacking Sakura's self-esteem. Just too quickly reiterate; not bashing, plot development. What I've got planned…heh, I don't think I've seen anyone else do it, so it'll either be awesome, or blow up in my face. It's a chance I'm willing to take though!

My favorite part was the Gaara scene. Because honestly, how has no one thought of _smoke?_ It's like water, only a gas, and would be undoubtedly harder to catch Gaara with, but still plausible! And thus, the 'not Chidori' way of defeating Gaara using Sasuke. (Seriously, even the _time travel_ fics, where they're supposed to keep that stuff away from Sasuke, he gets the Chidori. It's gotten pretty repetitive). Plus…he's almost passed out from inhaling too much carbon dioxide. You know what that means!

By the way, how in the world did the Academy get moving so fast? Seriously, are they right next to the stadium, or does news travel _that fast?_ I don't think so. Plus, it's a time for Shika and Sasuke to have a short hero moment while I throw another loop in there for you guys. Joy.

And a little glimpse at my outlook on Hiashi. To me, he's just a dad in a screwed up system, and Hinata is his first kid. Can you blame him for not really knowing how to do the right thing? Seriously; he apologized to Neji after his match, when he really 'didn't have too'. Oh and guess what? That particular scene was pretty important. Remember it.

Next time on Word of Honor; _This Is War._ And thus, my Chunin Exams preparations begin their journey to a close…viva la fight setup!


	22. This Is War

anotamous, an anonymous review, said I was overstating the effectiveness of smoke. Let me quickly make it clear what I'm doing. I'm overstating the effectiveness of smoke against a 12 year insomniac who not only got a face full of smoke but _immediately inhaled it_. Plus, I never said how long he was in the smoke, and chakra can do wonders…like keep smoke from rising. After all, if it rose, it would defeat the purpose of it being a 'smoke coffin'.

And apparently, other people have thought of similar idea to mine. My question is, how many have had _Sasuke_ do it? Shikamaru in LOTLOF's was interesting, but it was Shika…we expect him to be smart. And the Here and Now fic…I gotta check out, cause Gaara verse steam sounds pretty epic.

Rambling. ONTO THE STORY!

* * *

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. Curses.

* * *

**Word of Honor**

_Chapter 22: This Is War_

"So, your bugs live _inside_ of you, do what you tell 'em to, can eat chakra, and can track a girl by smell?"

"No, they can track anyone but only as long as I place a female kikaichuu on them."

"Holy crap…those are useful little bugs aren't they?"

Shino was very proud of himself as he expertly hid his small smile behind his jacket collar. While the abilities of the Aburame clan weren't exactly the most secretive seeing as they all had the same abilities (in theory; different bugs and different people created different results and formations), it was nice to hear someone take such an interest in a seemingly disturbing subject. Granted, Naruto had been pretty disturbed when he heard that the kikaichuu actually lived in his body, and took more than a few moments for it to completely sink in, but eventually came to the realization that the abilities Shino gained from his allies outweighed any 'creepiness'.

It took relating the bugs to being able to carry a kunai anywhere before he got it. Apparently, that made sense to him, especially as no one could simply take the bugs out of him when they removed his other weapons for whatever purpose they might do so, which Naruto found to be awesome.

"So, we're tracking Gaara by one of your female bugs that you put on his sister, right?" Naruto asked, his eyes closed in an expression of confusion despite the fact that they were leaping across the rooftops in their pursuit.

"Yes. We will have to hurry though. If we lose her for too long, she might get away and transfer Gaara to someone else." He glanced at Naruto out of the corner of his eyes. "In which case, we will find it more difficult to restrain the other siblings. Not impossible, but more difficult."

"Got it. Yeah…that makes sense." Naruto said, obviously troubled by something. Finally, he figured out the _real_ question that was bugging him. "Wait, when did you have time to plant a bug on her?"

"When she was shouting at Sasuke, I became suspicious of her. I planted the bug on her in case she tried something rash and harmed a citizen in an attempt to protect her brother. It obviously turned out to be more useful than I anticipated." Shino admitted, tilting his head slightly as his hive informed him of another chakra signature rapidly approaching. "Naruto, we have company."

"Are they on our side?" Naruto asked.

As they landed on the next roof, Shino gripped Naruto's arm and shoved him away from himself. While he'd normally yell and grip about being shoved so suddenly, Naruto had practiced ambushes with his clones, and counters. While not the first idea that popped into his head, it was apparent to him what Shino's intentions were, and he took the push in stride; rolling and jumping further away from they area they landed at.

It turned out to have saved his life as a ball slammed into the roof and exploded in a plume of purple smoke. Whipping his head in the direction he figured the ball had come from, Naruto pulled out a shuriken and chucked it so that it would curve around the building. Right before it finished going behind the building, their assailant leapt from his hiding place.

Naruto and Shino quickly inspected their opponent; his black, cat-like suit and face paint drawing attention to his face, and from there to the shiny metal plate on his forehead that gleamed with Sunagakure's symbol. Furthermore, it was Sabaku No Kankuro (Kankuro of the Desert), one of their three targets.

As soon as he realized who it was, Naruto smacked his head at the stupidity of the shinobi. _'What kind of idiot wears make-up into battle? Seriously, we might as well be strapping on a bunch of clunky armor and helmets and knocking into each other like a bunch of wild bulls!'_

"I'd have to say no." Shino replied humorously, staring down Kankuro as he thought of what he should do. Thinking it over for a moment, he sent a small group of kikaichuu to Naruto. "Continue after Gaara. My kikaichuu will guide you to where he and his sister have fled to."

Naruto looked at the bugs, then back to Shino. "What about you?"

"I'll take care of him." Shino said confidently.

Naruto blinked in confusion. "You sure? This guy is one of the Kazekage's kids too; maybe they'll surrender if we catch him instead?"

Shino shook his head. "Regardless of him being the son of the Kazekage, the way his siblings and sensei have acted suggest that Gaara may be more of a varying factor in Sunagakure's forces. If we leave him, we may miss the opportunity to derail whatever plan requires his assistance before it begins." He turned to Naruto. "However, I will do my best to apprehend Kankuro-san as well. After all, it would be best to keep as many options open as possible."  
Naruto nodded. "Alright, I'll take care of Gaara then." He grinned and gave Shino a thumb up. "Don't lose to this guy, okay?"

Shino gave him a curt nod. "I meet you when I finish with him."

Naruto bolted forwards, ignoring the Suna genin as he focused on following the small ball of bugs that led him on. Kankuro, though not hearing what had been said, obviously understood that Naruto wasn't going to stick around to fight. He unveiled his bandage-wrapped package to reveal his puppet, Karasu (Crow), and send it after Naruto. Before it got to far however, Shino was upon him, nearly clipping his head as his fist whistled over him.

Kankuro grimaced, recalling Karasu as he positioned it between himself and Shino. "You really should have done that."

Shino opened his sleeves slightly, allowing his kikaichuu to flow out of his sleeves. "You won't be going any farther than here."  
"Oh yeah?" Kankuro said smugly, his fingers twitching as he readied his puppet for battle. "I'd like to see you try!"

Shino said nothing else as he and his kikaichuu charged forwards.

**-xxxxx-**

Iruka silently wished he'd gotten more live-action mission experience as he dodged another weapon that still managed to graze his thigh. Sucking in his teeth, he whipped his arm around and launched his own kunai in retaliation. Unlike his opponent's weapon, his went slightly wide and struck the roof his opponent had momentarily stood on before he'd moved and rushed towards the kids. Cursing, he rushed to intercept.

It had started as a normal day; Konohamaru had stolen the chalk from all the rooms, he was missing out on seeing the Chunin Exams, and Moegi had been complaining about her colored pencil breaking. His new aid had gone to the bathroom for a brief moment, and he'd been lazily watching his students as they took a pop quiz he'd given them. And then, things went wrong. So very wrong.

Apparently, none of the teachers on the other side of the school had been paying attention, because just as his aid had opened the door, several explosions went off. All of the kids had been screaming as he and his aid had tried to calm them and get them together to move them to safety. His aid had popped his head out the window to get a better look at what was going on, and fell out the window. Iruka didn't bother going to the window to confirm what he'd already figured out.

And now, moments later, he was outnumbered three-to-one, while having to try and keep an eye on the kids.

"Get down!" Iruka shouted, chucking a handful of shuriken at his opponent before spinning around and yanked a kunai from its holster to block another strike from one of the other Oto shinobi who would try and catch him off guard whenever he looked away. The third one seemed to grin behind the grey camouflage scarf that all three of them wore, as he raced towards the kids.  
Curses rolled off his tongue as he quickly knocked the shinobi he was grappling with back and threw the kunai at the third shinobi. It was enough to momentarily make him back up, which let Iruka move in between the Oto shinobi and his students.

"This guy is really starting to piss me off!" The third shinobi shouted, clenching his fist as he glared down Iruka. Initially, they'd believed that this would be simple, seeing as they outnumbered him. As they'd pressed on, they soon realized that he was just barely skilled enough to hold them off for long enough that none of them could quite slip around him. Using taijutsu alone that is.

"I got him." The first shinobi said, his hands flipping through a quick flurry of hand seals.

Iruka flinched as a high pitched ringing noise suddenly erupted from his ears. He grit his teeth, attempting to ignore the random vertigo and inner ear damage that was sure to happen if he didn't stop it. Because they were "Oto" (Sound) shinobi, he couldn't tell if it was ninjutsu or genjutsu that was being used on him, and couldn't think of any way to counter it either way as he fell to his knees and hurled.

"See? These Konoha dogs aren't so tough." The second Oto shinobi said, kicking Iruka in the gut and rolling him over. "One move and they're completely at our mercy."

"Man, these guys are so troublesome."

All three Oto shinobi tried to whip around as a new voice spoke from behind them, but quickly found that, somehow, they couldn't move.

"Wow, what a bunch of hypocrites. One move and they're completely at our mercy." A second voice said, a slightly arrogant tone in his voice.

At this, the three shinobi turned their heads around in accordance with the person who had bound them, seeing two Konoha genin standing on a roof not far away. The first had his hair drawn back with two oversized bangs framing his face, looking similar to a birds backside and a fan crest on his shoulders. The other, who had hair that looked reminiscent of a pineapple, had a dark shadow traveled the path between him and the shinobi.

"A Nara." One of the Oto shinobi muttered, spitting it out like a curse. Staring at the other, his eyes widened widely. "And the Uchiha!"

"Great, now he knows who we are. Great job Shikamaru." Sasuke said, sounding more amused then angry.

Shikamaru glanced back and shrugged. "Whatever, we couldn't leave them anyways. It's not gonna matter if they know who we are."

"What are you talking about? You think you weak little children can take on the likes of us? We aren't just your average Oto shinobi, we're – "

Whatever he was going to say was cut off, two kunai flicked from Sasuke's wrist burying themselves in the speakers throat and the forehead of the next. The final member could only widen his eyes in shock before they rolled into the back of his head as a kunai was struck into the back of his skull by Iruka.

Iruka grimaced at the mess that had been made. He really hadn't wanted to make a scene in front of the kids, but he'd had no choice but to take the opening that had been provided by Shikamaru. Looking up at his two former students, he gave a small wave. "How are you guys doing?"

Sasuke leapt down, impassively looking over his fallen foes. "Could be better." He motioned to the kids behind him. "Is that your new class?"

Iruka nodded, rubbing his ears. Apparently it had only been a genjutsu, as his ears were undamaged. It would take a moment for his mind to fully figure that out though, seeing as it still felt like his ears were ringing. "Shouldn't you guys be back in the arena?"

Sasuke shook his head. "They had enough people there without us getting in their way. Besides, we figured that, strategically, this would be an opportune time for our enemies to attack the Academy. Good thing we did, huh sensei?"

"Really?" Iruka asked, impressed by the thought out conclusion they'd come to.

"You mean _Naruto_ figured that the Academy might come under attack." Shikamaru interjected, smugly grinning at Sasuke as he shot a passing glare at him. Noting Iruka's confused look he sighed. "We _were_ chasing the Kazekage's kids, but Naruto reminded us that the Academy would be a potential target and sent us to help you."

"Naruto sent you?" Iruka asked skeptically. After all, while his faith in his favorite student had risen during the "pretest" he'd given him, this sounded too good to be true. He'd only been gone from the Academy for seven month's, he couldn't have changed that much in that short a time. Could he have?

"I was skeptical too," Sasuke muttered, looking over the kids for any damage. "But he was the first to think of the Academy when we were running after the Kazekage's kids. He's definitely grown up." Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he finished his search of the kids. "Are you sure you aren't missing anyone?"  
Iruka narrowed his eyes. "Why do you ask?"

Sasuke motioned to the kids. "In our starting class, we had thirty-three kids. I'm only counting thirty kids. Did you only have thirty-two kids this year, or am I…"

Iruka's head snapped around to the kids, sending a series of pin needles down his neck from his still recovering ears. He rapidly searched the kids, naming them as his gaze crossed over them. After a moment, he noticed a certain orange haired student with goggles on her forehead looking around frantically. A small scuffling and crash from the other side of the kids drew his attention to another kid, a small booger hanging from his nose, and a similar pair of goggles on his forehead. He was also looking around frantically for something.

Iruka knew what they were looking for, and knew that they wouldn't find it. Whirling around, he knew his face had gone chalk-white as he softly spoke. "Konohamaru is missing."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in confusion, not fully understanding the gravity of what he'd just said. Shikamaru on the other hand, did understand the underlying tone. "Konohamaru? _Sarutobi_ Konohamaru?" Seeing Iruka nod, Shikamaru cursed under his breath. "Looks like we weren't the only ones looking for a hostage to end the battle with."

"Wait, wait." Sasuke said, his eyes wide with surprise. "Are you saying that they took someone related to Hokage-sama?"

"His grandson." Iruka said, wincing at what would happen if they didn't get him back.

Before anything else could be said, Sasuke turned and launched himself onto a nearby rooftop. Within seconds, he was racing off in a seemingly random direction. Both Iruka and Shikamaru stared after him, neither sure what had just happened.

"Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka turned to the orange haired girl –Moegi– as she ran up to him. "What is it?"

"Konohamaru is missing!" She shouted, tears on the edge of her eyes as she turned back to the class with a look of desperation. "Me and Udon have looked everywhere, but he's just gone!"

"Troublesome." Shikamaru muttered, squatting down to Moegi's level. Taking a moment to think of a response, he gave Moegi a small smile. "You saw Uchiha-san run off, right?" Seeing her nod, he quickly pressed on. "Well, he noticed that Konohamaru was missing too, and went to find him."

Moegi's eyes went wide. "R-really? So he's gonna bring Konohamaru back?"

"He'll do everything he can. He's stronger than I am, and we need Iruka to help get the class moving to the bunker behind the Hokage Monument." Shikamaru said, pushing himself to his feet and motioning for the kids to follow him. "Come one everyone, we need to get moving."

Iruka would have smiled at how well Shikamaru was able to quell his students fears, and efficiently get them reorganized and moving again. If he made chunin, he was going to have to see if Shikamaru would be willing to take on a teaching position.

As they resumed their move to the Monument, he couldn't help but recognize the way Shikamaru phrased his response. _'I hope Sasuke gets him back. He's got the same mannerisms that Naruto used to have, and has a lot of friends who'll be waiting for him to come back. It will crush them if he doesn't make it back.'_

Despite these thoughts, he knew it was war. And he knew that sometimes, bad things happened to good people.

**-xxxxx-**

"And that's the last thing we need to do."

Tadao grimaced as he watched the finalization of the deal between Izo and Orochimaru's groups. Both had quickly given their respective scrolls, looked them over, and scrutinized every detail for authenticity. He could tell that there were a few other people watching from a distance, but they were just outside his range, so he had no idea who they were.

Regardless of whom they were, their presence meant rumors would spread. If they were Konoha shinobi, they would question what they'd seen, and seek answers. If they were Oto shinobi, they would spread rumors without realizing they were drawing a bull's-eye on their master, which would eventually lead them to Izo.

"If that's all, then we'll be leaving now." Tadao said, trying to keep the smirk out of his voice. It was good to see a plan going smoothly.

Of course, all good things must end. Right as they were about to split up and go their ways, the entities stopped hiding from their positions and leapt forwards. And the moment they got close, Tadao went ramrod straight. _'Uh-oh.'_

"What's going on here Kabuto?"

Up standing across from them on the rooftops were the only people Tadao didn't expect to be there. Four _Suna_ shinobi. Which meant they were watching their 'allies' making a deal with a group of masked shinobi with whom they didn't know the alliance of. Needless to say, it didn't look good. For either of them.

"Well now, isn't this surprising." Kabuto muttered, peaking up at the shinobi from the corner of his glasses.

Tadao flinched lightly as he noticed the slight change in Kabuto's demeanor. The end result of what was coming was not likely to be pretty. And it was _not_ because Kabuto was frustrated by the intrusion.

"Oh, you brought us parting gifts!" Ayame whispered, a devious look in her eyes. She seemed to shiver as her eyes glazed over. "You shouldn't have."

"Oi! I asked you a question!" One of the Suna shinobi, obviously the team leader, shouted. "What's going on - ?"

"We're gonna play a game now!" Ayame said, throwing her arms out and spinning around like a top. She seemed to stumble slightly, but as she realigned herself, her look now twisted in a maniacal grin. "How about tag?"

Tadao shook his head, knowing exactly what was going to happen to these poor saps. He'd intervene if he could, but he knew full and well that intervening with Ayame's games just mean he'd become part of the game. And this particular game was one that even the more elite, like Izo himself, were unwilling to stop.

"What are you – " The Suna leader said, but was cut off as his arm suddenly bent straight backwards, a loud popping noise sounding in the area as he and his team stared at it. Finally, the pain got through to his brain, and he screamed.

"Aw, looks like I'm gonna be it." Ayame said, flicking her butterfly knife out with a small click. As she spoke, several chakra extensions came out of her back like ethereal hands. "Let's play."

**-xxxxx-**

"Aw, you don't wanna play anymore?"

Anko pouted as she slowly spun a kunai on her finger, the bodies of multiple Oto shinobi lay at her feet. It had been so much easier than she remembered it ever being, mostly because they'd been so slow that they couldn't keep up with her. The first guy she'd hit had crumpled under her first punch. Or had it been a girl? She couldn't remember, and surprisingly she didn't really care.

Huffing in resignation, she stopped spinning her kunai and put it away. She was bored now, and with nothing to do, she was finding that she was beginning to come back into focus on what had happened. She knew that this sort of attack was unlike her; no stealth, no jutsu to help draw her opponent's attention away, and casual banter.

Not to say she didn't like the casual banter, she did like it. However, when your home is under attack from an invading village, you generally don't have the time or desire to banter with them.

With a small sigh, she tried to think back on what had happened. "Okay, I was writhing in pain in my room, and I was totally hallucinating. Check. I suddenly feel real good, and notice Oto shinobi invading Konoha. Check. I attack them and all but rip them apart. Check. And…I'm now having a conversation, with myself. And I thought I was crazy be- oh, shiny!"

A glint from another rooftop quickly took precedence over solving her inner turmoil, as she raced towards the sudden glint of light. Within a few moments, she was able to make out four forms moving quickly out of Konoha. Two were larger men, both looking like they'd been built to be a tank. Running next to them was a younger person, maybe a teenager. The final member of the motley crew though, caught her attention more so than the other three.

He was just a young kid, who just so happened to be bound and gagged over the shoulder of one of the larger men.

"Hm, well it's good to know that Orochimaru-sensei is consistent." Anko muttered, pulling the kunai out and throwing it in front of them.

They pulled to a stop as the kunai embedded itself in front of them, the unencumbered large man's head snapping her way immediately. "Konoha shinobi."

"Hey you!" Anko shouted, pulling another kunai out. "You, yeah you."

"Take the package back to the base, I'll take care of this scum."  
"Oi, it's not very polite to ignore people who are talking to you!" Anko said, hurtling the kunai at their feet again. Two of the Oto shinobi quickly began moving again, the first large man on the other hand didn't bother. His mistake.

The unassuming kunai landed at his feet, a small hissing noise from the explosive note the only warning he had before it blew up spectacularly in his face. Anko punched the air in elation. "You go boom!" She giggled at the joke. She was so witty sometimes. Turning her head to the fleeing shinobi, a pout made its way to her face again. "Mugyuu, they aren't going to play?"  
"No, they aren't."

Anko yelped as she threw herself backwards, barely avoiding the strike as it destroyed part of the rooftop. Her eyes widened as she stared at the damage, then narrowed as she began to look around. "Wait a second…wasn't I here a little while ago?"

The Oto shinobi narrowed his eyes at Anko, noticing the flame-like marks that were on her skin. "I see you have been bestowed with the gift of Orochimaru as well."  
"I was fighting the idiots that way, then turned and chase them that way…"

The Oto shinobi narrowed his eyes, frowning at being ignored. "What are you doing?"

"Then, I knocked that one idiot off the roof…"

"You must think you are powerful if you think you can simply ignore me like this."

"Then I came back this way and met you which means…" Anko's eyes went wide as she looked at where she'd thrown her explosive tag. "MY APARTMENT!"

Tired of being ignored, the Oto shinobi reached behind himself and pulled out a scroll. "Prepare yourself fool! For you will now witness the might of Hiroto!"

Anko snapped out of her minor panic attack as she turned to her opponent as he snapped his wrist and a cloud of smoke obscured him from view as he summoned something. When the smoke cleared however, Anko's eyes went wide. Her cheeks puffed out and she couldn't help but double over as she burst out laughing. "You look so girly!"

Hiroto frowned as he whipped his summoned item, a large bronze harp that was nearly half his size, in Anko's direction. "I will have you know that I am second only to Tayuya-senpai herself as a genjutsu specialist due to the abilities of this weapon!"

Anko giggled. "That's not a weapon."

Before Hiroto could try and say to the contrary, Anko had whipped her arm out and flung a barrage of kunai at him. Hiroto, acting quickly, batted them away before they could damage him. Remembering her earlier stunt with the explosive tags, he quickly leapt away from the kunai.

As he stepped down on the nearby rooftop, he flinched as a hand wrapped around his throat with a kunai against it. "_This_ is a weapon."

Anko drew the weapon across his throat, expecting it to cut through. Instead, she found that her blade grated against another steel object instead. Eyes wide in surprise, she didn't move fast enough to avoid the bludgeoning blow as the harp removed her head.

Hiroto grimaced as the Anko he'd been fighting turned to mud. "Impressive maneuver. Using a clone to cover for you after I replaced myself with my harp." His hand moved to his harp, a dark smile crossing his face. "Now then, it's time you learned to take me seriously."

Anko would have rolled her eyes and told him it was difficult to take _anyone_ seriously when they were wearing a black leotard with a grey camouflage scarf around their waist and a harp as their weapon. The moment he started playing though, she quickly realized that regardless of his silly appearance, she was going to have to take him seriously. Mainly because as he started playing, two humanoid eel-like monsters emerged besides him. "Meet my Tenma (Demons). Not quite as powerful as Tayuya-senpai's creations, but they should be more than enough to take out one like you." Slowly, he plucked the harp, the creations slowly lumbering in beat with the slowly increasing tune. "Mock me? Mock my fighting style? We'll see how much mockery you'll spew when they get done with you. Tenma's…"

"Uh-oh." Anko muttered, as the tune suddenly spiked and the Tenma rushed forward.

**-xxxxx-**

"Hold on Gaara, I'm getting you out of here." Temari muttered as she leapt across the rooftops looking for Kankuro. Gaara's head rolled about, his eyes half lidded as his conscience slowly faded in and out. The smoke he'd inhaled was slowly but surely making its way towards knocking him out, and she was running out of time before the Ichibi.

She shuddered, remembering the last time she'd seen the Ichibi let loose. Both she and Kankuro had been there, watching as they'd stumbled across a bandit camp in the border of Kaze no Kuni (The Land Of Wind). Due to the size of the camp, and the rumor that there was a missing-nin leading them gave Baki only one option; letting Gaara loose the Ichibi on them.

In the end, it was a bloodbath. There did in fact turn out to be a missing-nin in the camp, a former Kusagakure shinobi, but he had no techniques that were capable of glancing off the Ichibi's sand cloak. In the end, there wasn't enough left of the man to identify anything about him.

Temari hadn't been able to stomach it, and had hurled shortly after arriving in the camp. Kankuro seemed able to stomach it better, until he saw what was left of the Kusa shinobi. He'd hurled then.

Baki had attempted to reprimand Gaara, though why he'd even bothered, Temari didn't know. All she knew was that as Gaara's conscious took control back he'd stared back at Baki emotionlessly and told him he wasn't their father's hunting dog.

Ever since then, Temari had been the intermediary between the team. Despite her ever growing skills, that one moment had solidified her as the 'weaker' member of the team, as well as the voice of reason. Gaara seemed to notice her more, and would take her words into advice rather than the similar words Kankuro would try to use to talk him down. It was like he was using her as a bridge between him, who was untouchable, and the weak people who were so very easily killed.

"Kankuro where are you?" Temari asked, eyes darting about as she sought out her brother. If she wasn't able to find him, she wouldn't be able to take off into the dense forest to hide. It would be too easy for Konoha shinobi to find them, especially since it was their turf. She needed Kankuro in case they needed someone to buy some time for her to escape.

Gaara's head suddenly fell onto his chest, making Temari's heart skip a beat. Tactically, being in the village was the best place to unleash the Ichibi. That being said, it was also something one wouldn't want to have happen when it was right next to you.

"No, no Gaara! Not now, don't go to sleep now!" Temari shouted, stopping and trying to awaken him as gently as possible.

Gaara's head slowly began to raise, for a brief second, she thought they were in the clear. Then his eyes snapped open, and the yellow pupils with cross shaped iris's stared back into her own. **"Good morning!"**

Before Temari could move, the sand that was normally in the gourd on his back leapt across his left arm and he quickly whipped around and knocked Temari off the building. Her eyes were wide in shock, obviously not anticipating the sudden change.

Gaara, now possessed by the Ichibi, cackled maniacally. **"I'm free! Finally, the blood will flow freely! Finally, I will kill – !"**

Whatever the Ichibi was going to say was cut off, as an orange blur flew at him and struck him across the face. The Ichibi's eyes widened as it registered the pain. Without the thin layer of sand over Gaara's face, it clearly felt the pain of being struck as though it had happened to itself. Stumbling across the rooftop, nearly loosing its balance and falling off, it slowly touched its cheek. Slowly, a dark grin crossed its face.

Before it could say anything though, a second punch struck it; this time successfully knocking the Ichibi off the roof. It didn't do much good, and it was able to realign itself before it hit the ground, but he follow up explosive tag tied to a kunai did.

Growling as it picked itself out of the wall it had been blasted into by the explosion, it turned its attention to the roof. There, staring down at him, was Uzumaki Naruto.

"**Yes…yes, YES!"** The Ichibi bellowed, a small trail of drool running down the right side of its mouth. **"You hit me. You…**_**hurt**_ **me! I will bath in your blood, and you will make me feel alive!"**

Naruto blinked as the insane demon bent its knees to leap up at him. With a quick curse he leapt forwards to engage him.

A fight that would be one of many that would shape his later life.

* * *

AN: FFFF! Apparently, setting up fight scenes and stuff isn't my forte. This actually required a lot of focus to write. Drama and talking is so much easier!

Anko is another character that I will be…drawing certain attention to. Initially, I was just going to gloss over some of it, but my muse handed me another plot twist that sucker punched me and will sucker punch you all in the future. Oh, and Anko was totally acting OOC in this chapter. I'd equate her current mental state to…Harley Quinn; extremely smart and efficient, with the mentality of a 12 year old. She'll help explain what's going on in her head shortly before the Find Tsunade Arc

Alright, here's the current set up for the next upcoming fights; Shino verse Kankuro (in the village version), Sasuke looking for Konohamaru, Curse Seal powered Anko verse Random Oto OC, and Naruto verse the Ichibi (Gaara's asleep, so Ichibi's going to start fighting from the get go). Hm, changes to the fighting matchups by changing their environment and throwing a few others…so many possibilities. (more evil laughing)

Next time on Word of Honor; _Sand in Your Eyes._ Those Suna shinobi are in for a surprise as they find that the shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato have more bite than they expected.


	23. Sand in Your Eyes

To anotamus: ...please get an account. I like the way your mind continually tries to break down why smoke is ineffective, but I can't just respond to your stuff in the chapter. Get an accont, leave a review, and I'll answer whatever issues you have with Sasuke's victory with smoke...or you can just take it as it is, and enjoy the story. Your choice.

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Word of Honor**

_Chapter 23: Sand in Your Eyes_

Shino had fought in all sorts of terrain. The woods, at a nearby lake, indoors, even in a quarry for practice once. However, while he'd thought over the possibility of inner village combat, he'd never taken the time to practice fighting around buildings. At least, not in any way where he'd be in control of the fight.

He was adaptable though, so when Kankuro had leapt into the fight with his puppet, he'd back peddled as fast as he could. He'd repositioned himself on a balcony of one of the apartments, making a Kikaichuu Bunshin (Parasitic Destruction Insect Clone) to cover for him while he thought of a plan. It wasn't exactly a solid plan at the moment, but it was better than nothing.

Now he just needed a plan.

He knew where Kankuro was, having placed a female kikaichuu on him from the start, but that would only help him so much. He needed to neutralize the puppet first, so that he didn't have any of his poisoned weapons to help defend him.

For his part, Kankuro was faring far better. He had practiced inner city battle, and had even more intricate knowledge of how to deal with slippery opponents. He was the same way.

Unfortunately, he was also at a loss. He'd seen what this Konoha shinobi could do, and had studied on the various clans and their abilities before the invasion. Or rather, he'd tried to get as much information as he could.

For all its boasting about being a powerful village, Kankuro had found a lot of information on the various clan's and their abilities. This had quickly turned into a nightmare for him, as all the different accounts had turned out to have come from different shinobi who'd survived the Third Great Shinobi War, and those who faced and survived encounters with the Aburame were few and far between. All he really got from the reports were that they were smart, used bugs, and apparently could eat their opponent's chakra. Nothing he hadn't learned from watching Shino's first battle.

Pulling the puppets strings, he had Karasu slip slowly across the rooftops, cursing himself for having lost sight of his quarry. He searched the surrounding area, quickly hiding himself over one of the rooftops. Karasu clacked loudly, certainly loud enough to draw the attention of anyone who wasn't deaf.

The clicking was actually a feature that could be turned on and off in Karasu's design. While a shinobi was intended to be a silent and deadly assassin, there was a time when the sound was necessary. Times where being loud was actually more beneficial for the shinobi than being quiet was.

Shinobi battles, unlike other battles, were the sort of battle where flexibility and unpredictability were required if one were to survive. His idol, and the creator of Karasu, had developed Karasu as an assault type puppet. It had plenty of sharp, pointy objects, and gas-form poisons to help back that theory up, and when using it with the other two in his set, they formed a devastating combination. But to an enemy shinobi, the real threat was that, when in combat, it made noise.

When in the middle of an assassination mission, this was a bad thing. It would alert the target as to what was occurring, and could potentially get the shinobi using the puppet killed. But when you were fighting against someone who utilized the same tactic of stealth, if used right, the noise could be fatal.

Assassins, by nature of being assassins, were very jumpy and paranoid. In battle, when adrenaline pounded through their veins, a person's senses were amplified. Assassin's would use that particular part of themselves to keep themselves alert and alive. Which is why the creepy, echoing noises that Karasu was designed to make, could make a seasoned jonin far more jumpy then normal. As such, this would lead to their downfall when they would react to something that helped give themselves away.  
At the moment however, he found himself gritting his teeth in frustration. His current opponent was not some seasoned assassin, and was not reacting in any way that would help him take him down any faster. He'd heard how monotone he could talk, but figured that no one was that incapable of feeling the fear of Karasu's coming. No one was immune to it.

Well…no one but Gaara.

Kankuro took a slow breath as he felt his hands twitching, further moving Karasu into position as he had sand slowly encase it to make it a copy of himself. The waiting was becoming very tiresome, and he needed to cut off the blond from getting to Gaara. If they lost Gaara, they would lose their trump card, and everything would quickly go downhill from there.

His eyes caught movement in the corner of his vision, his lips curling in a malicious grin. _'Idiot thinks he can draw me out by going out in the open? He's dumber than I thought.'_

Karasu –disguised as Kankuro– jerked its head towards Shino, the clacking muted as it met his opponent head on. Striking with heavy handed strikes, Kankuro grinned as he watched Shino skid backwards. Twitching his hands, he opened a secret latch in Karasu, flinging a poison coated kunai at him from its arm. One scratch and he'd be incapacitated.

Or rather, he _would've_ been incapacitated.

Kankuro cursed as the Shino he'd been fighting was struck by the kunai and burst into a swarm of bugs. This was quickly followed by the bugs swarming over his puppet, him cursing, and cutting the strings. He'd gotten in over his head too quickly, and had nearly revealed his location because of it.

Then again, it should have been expected. This Konoha shinobi would expect to encounter him, and would have one of their damned clone play decoy to catch him in a trap. Only, instead of catching him, the clone caught his puppet, which was probably worse.

Meanwhile, on a nearby rooftop, Shino glanced upwards at the hiding form of Kankuro, unable to believe how the circumstances had turned to his favor. One of the bugs from his clone had returned and had informed him that his opponent's puppet had been immobilized, and the area where his opponent now hid. It was something he greatly enjoyed knowing about his clan's clone technique. Of all the clone techniques he'd ever heard of, his clan's came in second in terms of individual intelligence. Minor intelligence really since it was insect intelligence, but it was individual intelligence nothing the less. It made them a one shot deal, but with proper planning, it was usually worth it; like now.

Directing a small swarm around each hand, he leapt up to Kankuro's level. Drawing a leg back, he kicked him as hard as he could in the gut. The look of surprise on his face was priceless.

Kankuro rolled over, drawing himself into a fighting stance. As he saw Shino standing over him, he felt a wave of fear wash over him, and he was unable to repress a shudder. Only Gaara had once been able to make him this scared; the thought of someone else being able to invoke that feeling made him swallow heavily.

He was so, very, screwed.

"I believe it is time to end this." Shino said, in his usual monotone voice.

So similar to the way Gaara usually spoke, Kankuro felt himself gritting his teeth together. "Yeah, me too."

**-xxxxx-**

Sasuke couldn't help but wonder how he'd gotten the hair brained idea that he could somehow track down the people who had kidnapped Konohamaru. Shino, maybe. Shikamaru, not likely. Naruto…he wasn't sure. His lack of knowledge of Naruto's current skill set aside, it was reckless and moronic of him to go running off in some random direction.

"Stupid!" He yelled at himself. He gripped his head, cursing at how reckless he was.

It was a flaw that his Academy teachers, Kakashi, and even Ebisu had seemingly overlooked during all of his training sessions. Granted, he'd never been in situations where he'd shown that flaw. Now it had come back to bite him.

He wanted that almost as much as he wanted Itachi's head; control. Since the day of the massacre, he hated that he felt like his whole world was out of control. It pushed him, it drove him to places he thought he'd never go before.

The downward spiral he was constantly on had a few up points. The Demon Brothers, activating his Sharingan, the victory over the Ame shinobi, the 'victory' over Gaara. He'd been in control then. The feeling he'd gotten from those victories, from the success had been…intoxicating.

And now he was back in square one.

Slowly, Sasuke lifted his head, a sudden realization dawning on him. "Oh no…I pulled a Naruto!"

'Pulling a Naruto', otherwise known as bull headedly charging into something like an idiot, was coined by Kiba during the Academy, and had stuck with Naruto as an irrefutable gospel truth. After all, who better to name something like that after then the main man who did it?

Although, this time, Naruto had paused and thought things through, and he'd been the one to charge in like an idiot.

His eyes glanced from side to side, continually cursing as he tried to figure out where to go next. "Ah screw it." If he was going to be the idiot, he might as well go all in. He grimaced at what he was about to do. Raising his left arm, he began to randomly point. "Eenie, meenie, minee –"

Sasuke froze as his shoulder suddenly got goose bumps. Slowly, he put his arm down. The second he did, the sensation went away.

"Mo." He muttered.

Raising his hand again, he pointed in a random direction. Taking a moment, he slowly began turning around. Once it hit the point where he'd been pointing before, he felt the feeling return.

"Huh, didn't know I could do that." Sasuke muttered, slowly, putting his hand down again. With a raised eyebrow, his usual smirk returned to his face. "Huh, I guess I'd better get going then."

**-xxxxx-**

Naruto back-flipped away from the berserk Ichibi, the sand encased arm dug into the roof that Naruto had previously occupied. He hadn't activated his Sokusensokketsu no Jutsu (Blitzkrieg Technique) yet, seeing as speeding oneself up against someone whose arm was practically a bludgeon would only make him a smear against the rooftops sooner. Granted, he'd been using short bursts to avoid attacks like this, but nothing on the offense.

Frowning as he landed on another roof, he squawked loudly as he stumbled backwards, the claw-like hand of the Ichibi coming close to taking his head off. Still seeing no opening, he let himself slip backwards and fall over the edge of the roof.

The Ichibi howled in frustration. **"Enough of this, human! Hold still so I can bath in your blood!"**

'_Yeah, 'cause I'm gonna let him do that!'_ Naruto thought as he gripped the balcony ledge. Gathering a quick burst of momentum, he swung himself through the window of the lower floor.

The Ichibi whipped its head down, grinning as it heard the noise. **"You're not gonna get away that easy!"**

Despite the situation, Naruto, for his part, was faring pretty well. Rolling into the building, he began moving as quickly as he could through the apartment. "Left or right, left or right, left or – oh look, ramen!" Naruto twitched, turning away from the obvious treat. "Not now, gotta stay focused…" He gave the tastey treat one last glance with anime tears streaming down his face. "Please... forgive me ramen!"

Pushing himself onwards, he yanked open the front door and bolted out, throwing a kunai with an explosive tag wrapped around the handle. As he leapt from the building, in the apartment above, the Ichibi broke through and began looking for the ever elusive blond. Thrashing about wildly, it made a quick mess of the place as it sought out its prey. As it moved towards the door, the explosive tag below went off, and threw it back out the window.

Naruto formed a cross-shaped hand seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)!"

Two copies formed into existence besides him, already knowing what their jobs were. The first clone saluted him, his face an expression of determined focus. "No problem boss!"

The second clone didn't look quite so eager. "You sure you want me to do that? You know how much that sucks."

Naruto nodded. "I know, but if you don't –"

"I know, I know." The second clone said, running his hand through his hair with a sigh. "It's just not gonna be fun if I don't get him the first time."

"I know, now go!"

The two clones split up, the first going over the top, the other going around. Naruto himself continued forwards, leaping onto the roof and turning around. Drawing on his chakra, he established his connection to Han'ishiki.

**:: You've reached your resident super smart, and totally handsome observer, how can I help?::**

'_How to I beat this guy?'_ Naruto thought to Han'ishiki, almost screaming it at him. _'He uses his arm to block my shuriken and kunai, I can't get close enough to shock him, and my clones only have so long before Gaara pops them!'_

**:: Calm down. You still have **_**that**_ **technique. Just use it and be done with it.::**

Naruto bit the inside of his cheek. "Yeah…that's gonna be a problem if I miss, remember."

**:: Then don't miss.::**

"Gee, how very helpful."

Naruto drew a kunai from its holster, wrapping another explosive note around the handle. He only one more left and he wasn't planning on wasting it unless he had no choice. He hadn't thought that he'd need a lot of explosive tags, and had left most of them in his apartment. Now though, he was wishing he'd grabbed his whole stash from the box he had under his bed. Leaping in the opposite direction of the second clone, he made his way back to the fight.

As he got around the apartment complex, he was forced to leap upwards as quickly as he could to avoid what appeared to be oversized senbon. As he landed, he realized that the 'oversized senbon were actually made of sand. "You gotta be kidding me!"

The Ichibi let loose another bellow, another barrage of sand needles flung towards Naruto and his clones at an impressive speed.

"Holy crap!" All three Naruto's yelped as they threw themselves out of the way of the incoming shuriken.

Naruto was inwardly proud of how well his self-preservation instincts had become, as his clones had been upgraded from near useless cannon fodder, to a –very fragile– team. They quickly got around the shuriken, the first clone moving forward to perform its job of distracting the Ichibi, while the other began circling around. Kunai in hand, Naruto himself leapt into the fray.

The Ichibi, for his part, was starting to get really, really pissed off. It had started out with him as the hunter, doing what he did best as only a hunter could. However, he quickly found that the tables were very easily turned. The explosion hadn't done any real lasting damage, as his sand covered arm had taken the brunt of the blow, but it hadn't stopped from pissing him off.

And then, there were three of them! It wouldn't have been quite so bad, as he'd have three times the blood, if it weren't for the fact that _clones_ don't _bleed!_ And to top that off, the Ichibi had yet to land even one hit! It had even been able to draw on enough power to form more of the sand into forming a tail, and even then they were evading it!

The Ichibi growled, frustrated by its host's stupidity. Because Gaara had fallen unconscious before he'd drawn on its full form, it wasn't able to force anymore than the slightly larger trickle of chakra that was finally allowing it to use the amount of chakra it currently could. Had the boy been awake, the trickle of chakra it was currently using could have been increased, and it could have crushed the fool under the full weight of its wrath. For now, it would allow for the moment of weakness. Just a little bit longer, and then it would –

"Konoha Taijutsu Oogi (Leaf Secret Technique)!" The Ichibi's eyes widened, whipping around to see the clone that had gotten behind it. "Sennen Goroshi (One Thousand Years of Death)!"

Otherwise known as the super painful and very awkward butt poke.

The Ichibi's face twisted in discomfort, the tail not fully protecting it from the insulting attack. Having never had someone do this to it before, and with only one viable reaction, it stumbled forwards, hissing in pain. Due to the weight of the sand though, instead of going very far or getting a chance to retaliate, it stumbled to the edge of the building, flailing its sand free arm about. Using its tail, it found purchase in the roof, and grounded itself. For a brief moment, it thought it was in the clear.

Then the kunai with an explosive tag wrap struck its tail and blew it off the roof.

Using its left, sand covered arm, it caught the side of the building and dug into it, kicking up dust as its hand ripped through the wall as the Ichibi slowed itself down. When it came to a stop, it reformed its tail and looked up. Standing over it, with looks of determined confidence, Naruto and his clones looked down at him.

"**You…you'll pay for that you foolish ant!"** The Ichibi roared as sand slowly began rolling over its right arm.

"Bring it on you psycho!" one the clones responded.

While it knew that what it was doing would take away its long ranged attack potential, the Ichibi continued building the cloak over Gaara. By this point, it had forced its cloak over the entire top half of Gaara's body, the usual markings and facial patterns matching its fully sized form perfectly. Two large arms and a thick tail helped it feel more comfortable in its human sized form. The only part that was still human was its legs, and that wouldn't be an issue in a short while.

Bellowing its battle cry, the Ichibi used both its arms to quickly ascend the building. The clone that had yelled at him yelped and leapt away, the other two hot on his tail. As the last one leapt off the building, the Ichibi coiled its tail and intercepted it, tackling it from the air and bludgeoning it with its arms. It went down in a rather unsatisfying puff of smoke.

"**You dare mock me?"** the Ichibi shouted.

"Holy crap, he got uglier!" The clone shouted as the original nodding in agreement.

The Ichibi grinned. It now knew which one was which. Which meant it now knew which one would bleed when it killed him. "There's no way we're gonna get him like this! We need more explosive notes!"

Whipping its arm back, it made as if to throw more of its Suna Shuriken. Recognizing the technique, the two Naruto's bolted in opposite directions. Without the chakra necessary to use the technique just yet, the Ichibi used the hand to grip the edge of a roof and vault towards the original.

The original yelped in shock, obviously not expecting to have the Ichibi right behind him. Skidding to a halt, Naruto rolled away from the area where the Ichibi was landing, pulling out a pair of kunai in a defensive manner. The Ichibi impacted the rooftop, kicking up tiles as it tore through the roof towards Naruto.

Naruto yelped as he leapt over the Ichibi's charging form, barely avoiding getting hit by the tile shrapnel, and the Ichibi itself. Flinging its kunai with as much force as he could, he rushed the Ichibi in a very suicidal manner.

The Ichibi scoffed, batting away the kunai as it would a fly. **"You're dumber than I thought!"** It shouted as it raised its hands over its head, preparing to bring down a hammer fist that would knock Naruto through the roof and into the apartment complex below.

As Naruto approached though, he dropped his kunai and put on a burst of speed. Caught off guard, the Ichibi didn't have time to react as Naruto got within its guard. A large, cheeky smile was on Naruto's face as he skid to a stop right in front of him, his hands falling into the seal for the 'ram'.

"I'll see you later ugly." Naruto said with a grin as the chakra within him suddenly began to pulsate. "Bunshin Bakuha (Clone Explosion)."

**-xxxxx-**

"Are you sure you're trying to get me? 'Cause you suck more than a fresh genin."

Hiroto said nothing as he continued to play his oversized harp. His eyes were sharp as he followed Anko's movements, noting how she reacted to the different movements of his Tenma. Like the snake she was, she was flexible and fast, more than capable of keeping out of their reach. Their eel-like bodies allowed them to keep one step behind, but due to them being larger, and heavier, they weren't quite as light footed as she was.

"Perhaps I'm not." Hiroto said, plucking several more strings as he continued to observe. Under normal circumstances, most chunin would be overwhelmed by the power his Tenma possessed. Anko was obviously more skilled than she originally let on, and had been toying with him. On the other hand, she'd had her Ten no Juin (Cursed Seal of Heaven) active from the get go. He had his own, but had yet to use it as he gauged Anko's movements.

(Please note he's using minor hidden village's, and others in Orochimaru's services as a reference to power level. He just _thinks_ Anko is that skilled. Not that he's really wrong, though the cursed seal is a good boost.)

"Now then, I believe it's time that I stopped messing with you." Hiroto said, plucking his harp in a new tune.

"Huh?" Anko said, blinking in confusion as the Tenma sudden leapt away. She pouted, crossing her arms and huffing in a fit. "What's the matter? Did you get scared and decide to run away?"

Hiroto smirked. "Taste the Oto no Hitonomi (Bite of the Sound) you Konoha trash!"

"Lame." Anko muttered in a deadpanned voice. It didn't have the pizzazz flair that made it sound like an intimidating technique.

A second later, she realized that despite the name it was a _very_ intimidating technique. Both Tenma unlocked their jaw and made a rattling noise that sounded like they'd swallowed a case of kunai and were shaking them. The sound they were making slowly began forming a ball-like shape in front of either Tenma's mouth, pulsating as more and more repressed sound hit the balls. Getting bored by seeing nothing more than the noise, she leaned forwards to leap at her foes…and slipped on the tile.

She made a very high pitched squeak as she fell off the roof. Only the quick application of chakra kept her from falling further than the top floors balcony. As it way, it also just so happened to give her a front row seat to the devastation that Hiroto's technique could actually have inflicted on her.

The ball compressed on itself in front of the Tenma, the sound causing an echo as it was shoved forward by the Tenma. It quickly went supersonic and created a shockwave that tore into the rooftop where Anko had previously occupied. Anko blinked in confusion as she saw the roof tiles all but disintegrate as they flew through the air. A second after it ripped through the rooftops, Anko was struck by a shockwave that knocked her off her safe balcony with a yelp of surprise. She fell from her balcony, only kept from dying due to her refined reflexes which allowed her to flip over in the air and land on the ground. As she did though, she winced as she felt herself land awkwardly on her right leg.

"Hey! Watch it you big lug!" Anko hissed, trying to keep from sounding hurt.

Hiroto frowned at Anko from his position on the roof. "Huh, that's odd. From what I'd seen, you should have given my Tenma more than enough time to build up my technique." He shook his head. "Well now, this is frustrating. I used my main trump card too soon, thinking you'd be dead already. I guess I have no other choice."

As Hiroto rambled, Anko wiggled her slowly, trying to get a feel for how much it hurt. _'Owie, it hurts! My ankle feels twisted.' _She inwardly whined.

Pain like this had happened before, but usually she didn't feel this lost. She knew there was something she was supposed to do, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember what it was.

"Now, it's time I show you _my_ seal, you Konoha trash."

Anko blinked. "Wait, what?"

Slowly, running across his face, jagged zigzag lines began to form. Bringing his harp up, he began playing another tune. "Well, now that I'm recharged, let's start round two."

Anko flinched, unconsciously drawing on more of her cursed seal's energy in an attempt to numb the pain. Gathering her feet beneath her she raced down the street, the Tenma hot on her heels.

"Yes, run! Hide and cower before me!" Hiroto cried, his fingers plucking the strings at a faster and faster pace.

Anko yelped when she was surprisingly overtaken by the Tenma, and backhanded into a nearby dumpster. Shaking off the miscellaneous items, she growled at him. Noting his fingers still moving, she barely had a moment to realize it and roll forwards before the dumpster got a new dent in it from the Tenma's strike.

It was going to be a long fight for Anko.

**-xxxxx-**

**Within Naruto's Mindscape**

Due to his battle minded focus, there wasn't much for Kushina to do. As such, besides the occasional clash, the only noise being made was the clacking of her sandals and slow deep breathing.

Kushina wanted to be patient, she knew she needed to be strong, but she was quickly reaching her breaking point. Glancing up where she knew Han'ishiki would be –sitting on a balcony– she sighed as she approached him again.

"We need to tell him." Kushina muttered, gripping her left arm with her right in a nervous gesture. She wasn't prone to being nervous much when she was alive, and it was making her far more twitchy than she normally would be.

**:: No.::**

Kushina scowled at his quick answer. "And why not? He's gotten as far as he's going to get with my help, and unless you have some great idea as to how to open the next door, I need to tell him."

**:: And I already told you what he will have to do in order to open the door. Be patient, and have faith in him.::**

"I don't lack any faith in him!" Kushina shouted, a dark aura momentarily forming around her. "I just don't want something to happen to him before I get the chance to tell him! You have no idea what it's like, wanting to hold your child and be there for him, and realizing that you _failed him._ Worst still, he looks at me like a stranger! Why won't you let me tell him I'm his mother?"

**:: Because of what may happen.::** Han'ishiki sighed as he leapt from the balcony and landed in front of her.** :: There are three paths that could happen from the revelation. First, he accepts you as his mother, and becomes more powerful as time passes, and eventually becomes strong enough to fulfill his dream. The outcome you want.::**

"Of course I want that." Kushina said with a sigh. "I only want what's best for him."

**:: Option number two. He rejects you, and cuts off all ties to his past. You've heard of what can happen to people who do that…to what happens to Uzumaki's who have broken their ties. How quickly their anger is to consume them, due to how closely your bloodline is tied to your history, and you've seen his darkness once before.::**

Kushina flinched, having firsthand knowledge of what that could do to someone. She never wanted to see it happen to anyone again. Especially since she'd encounter the darkness that resided within Naruto…acting almost like a separate entity from Naruto himself, and scaring her with just how many things Naruto had locked away.

As she mulled over these thoughts, she swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. "An-and the last option?"

Han'ishiki paused, looking almost hesitant to say it. **:: Option three…he can't take the knowledge that you were forced to withhold from him, and he snaps. Unconsciously activating his subconscious defensive mechanisms, he'd begin a widespread assault on everything in the area, that would eventually result in his death by complete chakra depletion.::**

Not a pleasant way to die. Kushina had heard of people who'd died of chakra depletion; slowly sinking into a void as their chakra slowly shut off their senses and slowed bodily functions. A person could live through chakra depletion, slipping into a coma that would allow them to at least have the _potential_ of waking up. But when an Uzumaki snapped…they would have already wasted the chakra needed to wake up and be dead before they hit the ground.

**:: Kushina-san,:: **Han;ishiki said, once again appearing hesitant before continuing.** :: There is also something else which has caught my attention. Something which shouldn't be possible as far as I know, and yet is happening right now. Will you please follow me?::**

Kushina nodded, noting the way Han'ishiki seemed to almost trip over his feet as he scurried away. Whatever it was, it had to be extremely important for him to be rushing so fast.

They traveled down the corridor, taking turns she hadn't realized had existed before. After several moments, she paused as she noticed a large gate that was sealed off. "Where does this go?"

Han'ishiki glanced over his shoulder, a blank look on his face. **:: We have more important things to deal with. Come one, let's go.::**

"It looks like some kind of sealed memory." Kushina muttered, brushing her hands over the chains that bound the door shut. As she reached the center of the door, Han'ishiki suddenly gripped her hand in a vice-like manner. Hesitantly, she drew away from the door. "What aren't you telling me?"

**:: Later. This takes precedence.::**

Rolling her eyes at the way Han'ishiki had redirected her attention, she jogged after him, eventually arriving at a pair of doors. Doors that looked vaguely like the doors that led to the Hokage's office. "Hey wait, isn't this where Naruto's blood oaths are?"

**:: We took a faster route, but yes.::** Han'ishiki said, answering her question before she had a chance to ask it.

Shoving open the doors he made his way to one corner of the room. Kushina noticed Hinata was laying there, more silent than usual, even for her. When Han'ishiki moved out of her way, and gave her a more direct view of her though, she felt her breath catch in her throat, and had to surpress the urge to vomit.

**:: Please…please tell me you know what is going on here.::**

* * *

AN: You know that little voice that tells you when to not leave cliffhangers? I don't hear that voice very often, so here's a nice little cliffhanger for you!

So, Kankuro has already lost his puppet (sucks to be him), Sasuke got lost and 'pulled a Naruto' (which was _so_ fun to do), Naruto's winning his fight against the Ichibi (say what?), Anko's losing (that can't be right), and I finally revealed the second technique Naruto learned over the break. If you didn't guess it, well, here it is. The effects and more fighting will occur next time.

This was fun…and frustrating. The last page took me less than an hour, which was half the time it took me to write the pages before it! Gah, I'm not made for action scenes…oh well, I'll learn.

Next time on Word of Honor; _Believe In Me._ Naruto's fight takes a turn where he has to call on more then he has, and Anko must put faith in someone who's practically a complete stranger.


	24. Believe In Me

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm just renting my creativity at the moment…my dang Muse has the keys. (cries inconsolibly)

* * *

**Word of Honor**

_Chapter 24: Believe In Me_

The Ichibi had dealt with explosives multiple times, thought admittedly it'd happen when Gaara was awake and it had been able to manipulate a wall of sand to protect it. Completely wrapped in a shroud of sand shaped like its form prior to its being sealed, the explosion wracked its body. Disoriented, it stumbled across the roof.

Naruto frowned as he noticed that the Ichibi was still completely intact despite how close it had been to the exploding clone. Compared to the exploding tag he'd used on its tail, which had almost been severed, the damage was minimal. Unfortunately, he was out of said tags, and was _not_ going to use another exploding clone again.

Similar to the side effect of using Kage Bunshin, the Bunshin Bakuha placed a lot of stress on him, only faster. Even now, he could feel the small amount of blood running down his cheek, and hands. Flicking his hands to either side in an attempt to dry them as quickly as possible, though pretty useless as the points he'd been bleeding from had more than likely clotted over by that point, he almost missed the Ichibi's second charge. Unfortunately, he noticed too late to actually avoid said charge.

The Ichibi, pissed beyond all reason, leapt once again at its foe. By this point, it had become riled up enough that it didn't care if Naruto died in a horrible, gory mess; it just wanted him to _die._

Backhanding Naruto with one of its oversized hands, Naruto was sent skidding across the rooftop. Not stopping there, the Ichibi leapt into the air, its hands clasped together as it brought a hammer fist down on Naruto's back. Naruto, who'd been disoriented by the previous attack, was plowed downwards into the apartment below him.

Slowly pushing himself up, Naruto spat out a glob of blood that had collected in his mouth.

"Crap…bit my tongue." He muttered, rolling to the side.

The Ichibi was once again on his heels, dropping down through the hole and backhanding Naruto into a cabinet. Grabbing Naruto's arm, it whipped Naruto around, breaking several normally sturdy structures with Naruto's lower body before ramming him into a nearby wall. Drawing back its fists and moving faster then it would appear to be capable of, it began its attempt at pounding Naruto into a bloody mess.

After several hits though, the power behind its blows proved too much for the wall to take as he launched Naruto through the wall. Another small glob of blood fell from his lips as he limply rolled through the apartment. Splattered with some of the blood, the Ichibi gave pause as it noticed the red coloring on his sand.

"**So you can bleed. Yes…YES!"** The Ichibi roared as it licked the blood on its sand. **"Now give me more!"**

Naruto idly wondered how many ribs he'd cracked in the latest barrage of attacks. _'I feel pain all over, so…three? No, I can't have broken more then two – ow! Okay, that's three.'_

Rolling over, he cleared his mouth and spoke slowly. "I vowed to win."

Almost instantly, the pain throughout his body began numbing, his focus sharpened, and he could almost feel his mind quickening as he thought of some way to stop the Ichibi.

'_If I just had a few more explosive tags, maybe I could soften it up enough to get close and knock it out. I just need to get a couple of tags...I wonder if Shino has any.'_

Avoiding aggravating the injury in his mouth, he tried to think over some sort of attack that could knock the Ichibi down for the count. Unlike Sasuke, the only 'long distance' attack he had was creating a team of shadow clones, with maybe one or two that could blow themselves up. Besides that, he was pretty much screwed over. He planned on fixing that later, but before that, he had to survive this first.

Scrambling to his feet, he leapt out a nearby window. Surprisingly, the window was closed and he had to crash through the glass to escape the apartment. _'And to think, I used to think every window in Konoha was open all the time.'_

Unfortunately, it caught the Ichibi's attention as well. **"Yes, run human! Let me enjoy the chase a little longer, before I spill your blood on the streets below!"**

"Leave me alone you psycho!" Naruto yelled over his shoulder.

Bouncing from roof to roof, he once again began a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a psychotic maniac who was attempting to kill him.

Naruto had thought his plan had been a rather ingenious idea at the time. Get his opponent riled up, send in a clone, and have it blow up in his opponents face. Simple, yet effective.

No one told the Ichibi that.

Naruto, doubling over when he landed awkwardly on one of the rooftops and aggravated his bruised legs, was caught completely off guard when the Ichibi plowed right into him and backhanded him once across the rooftops.

Naruto muttered curses from where he was buried, wondering how something so _fat_ could move so fast. If he made it out alive, he was_ never_ mentioning weight to Choji ever again. Pinned to the floor by pieces of the building he'd been slammed into that had fallen onto him he wiggled about in vain to free himself.

"**Die human!"**

Naruto cursed loudly as, unable to move due to being pinned, was silenced as the Ichibi brought its elbow down on him. A loud crack resounded through the apartment, causing Naruto's eyes to widen in pain and surprise. He was almost certain the noise had come from his ribs, though the pain was currently numbed at the moment. A slow, eerie sounding creepy noise filled the apartment, prompting Naruto and the Ichibi to share a look just before the floor gave out.

"Gah!" Naruto yelped, the Ichibi looking almost as surprise as he was. They fell to the floor below, the pieces of wood that had pinned him down falling on either side of him. Freed from his temporary imprisonment, Naruto quickly rolled to the side, creating a pair of clones to buy him some time as he fled the scene.

He wasn't running away, by any stretch of the imagination. Especially since one of the promises he'd made was to 'not run away'. This was an extenuating circumstance, and tactical maneuvering was needed to move to his apartment to pick up some supplies he could use to hurt the Ichibi.

Naruto dropped from the rooftops, hearing the wall behind him explode as the Ichibi quickly gave chase. "Apartment, apartment, apartment, OH COME ON!"

Skidding to a stop, he barely avoided the Ichibi breaking the roof in front of him with its giant hand. **"I grow tired of your futile attempt at escape. Stop running and let me bath in your blood human!"**

"No thanks." Naruto yelled, flashing through the seals for his speed technique. "Sokusensokketsu no Jutsu (Blitzkrieg Technique)."

It was not a moment too soon. The Ichibi bellowed loudly, a chakra laced windblast slamming into the area where Naruto had stood a moment before. Darting around the blast, he jumped over the claw arm and used its face as a springboard to boost him over the Ichibi's shoulder.

The Ichibi stumbled, its host's legs giving out from the weight of the sand and the sudden push. Growling at its host's weakness, it twisted around sending a wave of sand like a sand tsunami after Naruto.

"Oh shit." Naruto muttered, his chakra enhanced speed the only thing keeping him from getting crushed by the sand wave.

The Ichibi roared as Naruto continued to elude its grasp. Taking a raspy breath, it blasted a compressed ball of air at Naruto. Naruto, nearly at the edge of the rooftop, wasn't able to get out of the way in time and was blasted off.

Tumbling through the air, Naruto felt the incoming apartment complex just a moment before he saw it and plowed through one of the doors. He could hear an odd wheezing noise coming from outside the door, and knew that whatever was coming next would likely kill him if he didn't get to his –

Naruto glanced around, noting several very, _very_ familiar sights. "Potted plant, loose floorboards, empty instant ramen cups all over the table…" Naruto silently thanked whoever was watching over him. "My apartment. Okay, now for my explosive tags."

Turning on his heels, he rushed into his room, flipping his mattress unceremoniously as he reached for the box that held the small collection of explosive tags he'd built up over his first six months as a genin. Gripping it like a lifeline, he began rushing out to confront the Ichibi again.

As he got to the door of his room though, a powerful gust of wind ripped through his apartment, forcing him to drop his box as he went flying backwards. As luck would have it, his mattress actually helped cushion his fall before the bits of sand that were scattered within the wind began biting into his skin.

Naruto quickly pulled down his goggles, wondering how he'd forgotten to do so earlier, to protect his eyes from the sand blasting. He could feel his arms going numb as the blunt wind beat against his arms and tore through any exposed piece of spandex like tissue paper. It had provided a lot of help beforehand, but apparently there _was_ a limit to what one could put the spandex through.

His arms and his legs quickly rubbed raw by the blistering sands, Naruto quickly used what time he had left to look for his box of explosive tags. He found it quickly, wedged on the other side of the doorframe, held in place by the blistering winds. When the winds finally began dying down, despite what he'd expected, the box remained where it was.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto slowly pushed himself to his feet. He could feel the numb throbbing his body was trying to interpret as pain, but brushed it off. He needed to get to his explosive tags and think of a cool line to say before he blew the Ichibi to kingdom come.

Unfortunately, the Ichibi was already standing in his doorway, looking at him with the same bloodthirsty grin he'd had since he'd woken up. **"You human's and your pesky creations. What good is your silly 'door' if it can't take a light wind?"**

Naruto winced as he shifted his weight around. Looking the Ichibi over and remembering how much stronger it had continued to become as more sand had covered its body, he figured it was finally as strong as it was going to get for the time being as sand created a thick, stubby pair of legs that it used to almost waddle into his apartment. By this point, only a really, _really_ big explosion would be able…to…

He had to keep from swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. He had gotten an idea, and it wouldn't likely end well for him. Sidling up to the wall behind him, he pressed himself against it, wishing he had some way of getting out.

"**You have no where else to run human."** The Ichibi said, its sharp teeth grinning eerily as Naruto stared into the plus-shaped pupils of its yellow eyes. Naruto winced as it finally entered the threshold of his room. **"I will enjoy this."**

"I'm not." Naruto muttered as he raised his hand and formed a half 'ram' seal. "Boom."

**-xxxxx-**

Anko dove to the side, barely avoiding the sound blast as it ripped into a wall. She absently noticed that the blast wasn't quite as large as his first one was, but didn't pay it too much attention. Instead, she mocked her opponent by pulling down her eyelid and sticking out her tongue.  
"Stop mocking me!"

Anko giggled as the Tenma tried in vain to bite her head off. After a few moments of running, her leg had stopped hurting. Given the ability to run again, she almost forgot that she was supposed to be in the middle of a fight when her opponent had forcefully reminded her of that fact. Taking it in stride, Anko had conserved her chakra and simply kept dodging and doing whatever she could to piss him off.

Feeling somewhat bored, she whipped her hands forwards, focusing chakra to her arms. "Go my pretties! Eat the silly snake pretenders!"

Her sleeve bulged slightly before a swarm of snakes shot out and latched onto one of the Tenma. Hiroto, surprised by the attack, was unable to change his melody to counter her attack before Anko lifted the Tenma into the air and had her snakes whip it headfirst into the ground below. She smirked at the satisfying crack of its skull against the street.

"Oops, I think I broke it!" Anko said with another giggle, her eyes slightly glazed over as she swayed across the rooftops. Everything had a strange, extra colorful look to it. Especially red; there were lots of red spots darting around.

"Of course, now I understand." Hiroto muttered, letting his harp drop to the side as he glared at Anko. "You, you're the one he told us about. The little apprentice."

Anko frowned at his words. She wanted to lash out for some reason, but couldn't for the life of her figure out why. "Uh, maybe? What's it too ya?"

A small, dark gleam appeared in Hiroto's eyes as he drew on more of the cursed seals chakra. "Nothing really. It explains why you've been using the seal throughout the whole fight, and those techniques you just used."

"Seal? What seal? Did I run by it?" Anko asked, looking herself over for the cute animal which she thought he was mentioning. As her eyes darted about, she _finally_ took notice of the black marks that covered the backs of her hands. "Hey, what's this?"

"Orochimaru-sama explained that too." Hiroto said, plucking the strings of his harp once again. "Without the skills Orochimaru-sama taught you, you are nothing. Now be a good little girl, and hold still!"

"No!" Anko said childishly, leaping over the Tenma as it attempted to broadside her. Unfortunately, Hiroto had already anticipated this move, and had the Tenma come to a screeching halt before it simply plowed on and had it grab her leg.

Yelping in shock and sudden pain, Anko was caught completely off guard as the Tenma began whipping her around and slamming her into the rooftops. The little red dots that had been in her vision earlier seemed to be getting larger, along with a strange moisture on the back of her head and the addition of several black dots.

Just when she was about to black out, the Tenma threw her to the side. She hit a wall with a cry of pain, before she tumbled into an alleyway, landing on a closed dumpster with a dull thud before rolling onto the ground below.

"Just as I said. How pathetic."

Anko tried to shake the stars from her head and push her self up, but found that the leg that had been previously injured wasn't listening to her anymore. Looking down at it, she noticed that the limb was black and blue; likely from her previous twisting, and the Tenma's use of her as a club.

Wincing, she gripped the dumpster and tried to pull herself up. A crunching noise in front of her made her look up, the ugly face of the Tenma glaring down at her. Cursing under her breath, she pulled out a kunai and waited for what was inevitable.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu (Fire Release: Grand Fireball Technique)!"

That was not the inevitable she was expecting.

Neither was it what Hiroto was expecting either, as he was forced to back away from the incoming fireball before it engulfed him. Anko groaned as the wall of _more_ red crashed a short ways away from her. Hiroto whipped his harp into playing position, plucking a quick melody to move his Tenma from the flames. As he did so, the ball of fire suddenly shifted in shape as it leapt at his new position.

"What the hell is up with these flames?" He shouted, leaping further away from the kamikaze fireball.

Anko giggled as the fire chased her opponent down. His shocked and somewhat terrified expression was so amusing to look at, especially when he was getting chased by a flaming bird.

Looking up, she noticed a small form standing on the nearby roof. "Aw, a cute little birdy."

Then, the figure straightened, revealing the 'cute little bird' to be a person. With a nonchalant hop, he fell to the ground in front of her. "Are you alright?"

Anko opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off as her heat suddenly felt like it was on fire. She winced, gripping her head as her vision slowly cleared. "Not good. I was…I…I can't remember."

The boy in front of her nodded. "You look like you fell from the roof. You might've injured your head when you fell."

"No, it's more then that. I can't remember anything that happened when since this morning except…" Anko turned away, not wanting to tell a random stranger about the 'voice in her head'. Instead, she winced, drawing attention to her leg as she held it gingerly. "I'm pretty sure I injured my leg at some point though. I'm in no condition to fight at the moment." Glancing up, she realized finally got a good look at her savior. "Hey wait a minute, haven't I seen you before?"

"Yeah, you were the proctor of the second part of the exam." The boy said, pulling out some bandages as he looked over her injured leg. As he wrapped her leg, he continued to talk. "I was on the team with the blond idiot you cut."

"Oh yeah! His blood tasted pretty good. A shame he was so mouthy." Anko muttered. Taking a good look at him, she finally was able to put a name with his face. "You're Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "What gave it away?" Looking at her leg further, he grimaced. "Your leg looks pretty bad. What the heck did you do to it?"

Anko scratched her cheek almost sheepishly. "I'm pretty sure I twisted it at some point during my fight. And the recent damage that eel looking thing definitely didn't help."

Sasuke nodded. "Alright then, I'll do some field first aid and –"

"Where the hell did you come from?"

Sasuke looked up at the returned Hiroto with his infamous apathetic glare. "Who the hell are you?"

Hiroto grit his teeth. "My name is none of your concern! All you need to do is DIE!"

Sasuke blinked as the man pulled out his harp and began playing. "Huh, that's an odd object to bring to a –"

"Get moving boy!" Anko shouted, trying to move from her position on her own without much success. Noticing her near frantic efforts to get moving, Sasuke threw her into a fireman's carry and bolted away. A second after he'd vacated their spot, a wave of destructive sound wiped the area clean of anything that would have been there beforehand.

"Okay, so it's not so intimidating when used like that." Sasuke muttered, his Sharingan activating as tentatively observed his opponent with 'fresh eyes'.

"No kidding." Anko muttered, rubbing her neck. First time in nearly a month, her head felt clear, her thoughts no longer plagued by the voice that seemed reminiscent of her former sensei's. And the feeling of someone had decided to inject her with adrenaline and caffeine was slowly ebbing away as well.

"Insolent!" Hiroto shouted, his melody changing drastically as he sent his Tenma skirting after them.

Unlike their previous quarry however, this one was fresh, young, and when glimpsing Hiroto, could predict their movements. Darting through the alley's, Sasuke kept one step ahead of his demonic pursuers. He had to make sure to keep an eye out for Hiroto every now and then to insure that he stayed ahead of him, but every time he did so he had to be careful of not being seen, else his opponent would round on him and sick the Tenma on him once again.

"Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique)." Sasuke muttered as he formed seals around Anko's legs.

With a large, fairly obvious burst of smoke, a plethora of clones began to scatter throughout the area, making quite a bit more noise than was really necessary. Hiroto cursed loudly as he attempted to pick out the real Sasuke and Anko. Before he could, most of the clones had begun taking refuge behind other buildings as they fled from Hiroto and his Tenma. Playing quickly, he had the Tenma unleashing burst after burst of concussive sound waves in an attempt to destroy the fakes and flush out the originals. Inwardly, Hiroto thanked his ingenuity for pumping copious amounts of chakra into his Tenma over the last month in case he needed to do something like this.

Back where Sasuke had originally created the clones, Sasuke slipped into the alleyway, trying not to grin from ear to ear as he shuffled to find a place for them to catch their breath and for him to finish doing what he could for Anko's leg. He had to admit, he believed he finally understood what Naruto had found so fun in pulling pranks on people in the Academy. While idiotic in their childishness, if someone taught him to take advantage of those skills in a way similar Sasuke's cheap imitation did... Sasuke cut of that train of thought, his brother's words once again echoing through his mind.

"…_once you have eyes like mine."_

'_I'm not you nee-san. I'll get power my own way.'_ Sasuke inwardly muttered, his curse seal nudging against the back of his head. He put it out of his mind, accidentally giving it a moment to begin spreading.

Finally taking refuge behind a dumpster a short ways away, he placed Anko back on the ground and pulled out the small medical kit he had with him. "Okay, we've got a minute before he catches us. Let me see your leg."

"Huh, well aren't you interesting. And you're not shy, which definitely earns you points in my book." Anko said with a slight grin as she held out her leg to him.

Sasuke looked over her leg intently, trying to figure out what she'd injured. After several seconds, and seeing no sign of an injury, he gave a small sigh of exasperation before giving her a blank stare. "Your _injured_ leg Mitarashi-san."

"You're no fun." Anko pouted, switching to her injured leg. "Acting all formal and whatnot. And to think, I was so sure you were feeling me up when you swept me off my feet and carried me off."

Despite his seemingly hollow interior, Sasuke felt himself blushing lightly at the casual comment. "It wasn't like that. I was simply assisting a fellow Konoha shinobi."

Anko's eyes gleamed in glee as realized she had a _very_ easy target in front of her. "Oh really? So you aren't just paying attention to my leg because I'm sexy beyond your years, and you're really just wanted to admire my legs?"

Sasuke paused in his treatment, barely hiding a twitch in his hands. "No, I'm performing first aid to get you on your feet so we can take this guy down."

"If that's what you want to say, go right ahead." Anko said with a smirk.

Sasuke chewed on his lip, tying off the last bit of bandaging a bit more roughly than was strictly necessary. "Alright, I've done what I can for now, but you'll need to see a doctor for more professional help."

"But I like your inexperienced work." Anko teased, noticing the _very_ light blush on his face when he got the innuendo.

"Focus. We need to take this guy down." Sasuke muttered, quickly climbing up to peek over the rooftops. Seeing him a few blocks off, he sighed in relief. "We've got a few moments before he gets to us. You got a plan?"

Anko, dropping her teasing attitude in favor of a more battle ready one, nodded. "Yeah, I think I just might have something."

**-xxxxx-**

"**Suicidal human. Killed yourself for nothing!"** The Ichibi roared as it pushed itself from the wreckage of the upper floors of the apartment complex coming down on it. Several parts of the left side of its body had turned to glass in the explosion, while its body in general was far less compact as it had once been. Despite these 'injuries', the Ichibi was thankful to have the blond thorn out of its –

"I'm not dead yet."

"**You've got to be kidding me."**

The Ichibi lumbered over to where Naruto lay, pinned under a very large beam that had fallen from one of the upper floors. Surprisingly, it had caught on something and wasn't crushing him like the Ichibi wished it was.

"…hi." Naruto muttered, his teeth red from blood that had collected in his mouth. More than likely, he'd gotten injured more than he appeared to due to the injuries being mainly internal.

Igniting a box filled with explosive notes in an enclosed space apparently wasn't his best idea.

"**So, you survived."** The Ichibi muttered, placing its foot on the beam as it stared down at Naruto.

Naruto spat the blood to the side, ignoring the coppery taste. "What did you expect? I'm more resilient then I look."

The Ichibi nodded, putting more weight on the beam that had Naruto pinned. **"Yes, but I've had my fun for now. Now, it's time that I finished you."**

Naruto grimaced as the weight on his chest began to grow. "No way. I can't lose. Not now, not ever!"

"**Truly, you are the stupidest monkey I've ever seen. It's almost a shame to kill you now, seeing as it would be rather fun to watch you stumble about in your obvious ignorance. Your blood will satisfy me for a long, long time though…so it'll be worth it."** The Ichibi pushed more weight down, the wood creaking quietly.

"No…no you don't understand. I promised." Naruto muttered, barely able to get a breath in. Taking another fish-like gasp of air, he continued. "I promised Hinata that I'd win…"

"**Even more foolish!"** The Ichibi bellowed, stomping on the beam. Naruto yelped as he felt the beam bounce against him, a small crack coming from his chest sounding and feeling like he'd at least cracked a rib at this point. **"You hold onto this false ideals. You believe in being honorable, having some sort of integrity to your word! What good are your words if you're death human? How can you win when you're fighting something so far out of your league?"**

"I dunno." Naruto rasped, his breaths coming in even shorter gasps as the pressure returned. "I just…I'm gonna win."

"**For what? This 'Hinata'? And what will you receive from it? Power, money, glory? What drives you to keep your word?"**

"Nothing…I just…don't go back…on…my word." Naruto said, gasping in between each break.

"**Bah, you're truly a pathetic species. You think this other human will care if you are honorable or not? Wouldn't living another day be a victory as well?"**

Naruto blinked in confusion. In a way, it almost sounded like the Ichibi _wanted_ him to live. Looking into its eyes though, Naruto figured it just wanted him to stumble away so it could chase him down again. "I promised…not to run…away…too…"

The Ichibi paused in its torture, blinking in confusion as it took in what Naruto had said. A boy bound by his promises who couldn't lose? Better yet, who couldn't run away? It was too much; it threw its head back and began laughing. It was a mocking laugh, that would have instantly set Naruto's nerves on edge were he not numb.

"**You have foolishly drawn yourself into a corner with your words!"** The Ichibi bellowed uproariously. **"Which means you only have one option left; one option if you wish to stay alive."** The Ichibi leaned down to look Naruto in the eye, the blood from the sand making its breath smell foul, and nauseating. **"Break your promises. Run away and admit defeat. Remember this as the day you survived the great Ichibi's rampage, knowing you did so because there was nothing else you could do."**

"I could fight." Naruto muttered, pushing against the beam. It was for naught though, as the Ichibi pushed it back down.

Despite the dark grin on its face, the Ichibi sounded somewhat confused as it spoke again. **"You really hold your hollow promises so high up that you would risk you life?"**

Naruto grimaced, pushing harder against the beam. "They aren't hollow! I am a man of my word; I'm a shinobi who follows my own nindo (ninja way)! My promises mean something, because I put my all into keeping them!" The beam shifted slightly as he continued to yell. "People will believe I can do something when I tell them, because they'll know that I'm not just saying it. That I'm worth more then just empty words!"

"**What the hell?"**

"They will know that with every promise I make, I'll do all I can to fulfill it!" Naruto shouted, the beam lifting further into the air as chakra began to whip around him. "I promised my team that I wouldn't run away, and I'll keep that promise! I promised Hinata, and everyone who saw me in the preliminaries that I would win, and I will!"

"**Too late!"** The Ichibi roared, raising its arm into the air to bring it down and crush Naruto's skull open. It was startled by Naruto's sudden burst of strength, and it would be damned if it let Naruto get any stronger.

Naruto grinned, his red teeth making him look odd despite his confident stare and the sand club readying to crush his head. "I gave them my word of honor, and I will keep that. That is my nindo…dattebayo."

It happened so fast, the Ichibi never saw it coming. One moment, its fist was coming down on Naruto's head. The next, it was launched backwards and was skidding through the streets below, away from the apartment complex.

Shaking its head, it quickly located the building that Naruto had somehow launched it from, and leapt back to it. Gathering chakra into its mouth, it spat out a thick wad of wind, watching with glee as it ripped through the rooftop towards his opponent.

Pulling himself from the wreckage, the beam no longer on his chest, Naruto had no idea of his impending doom as the Ichibi's attack barreled onwards. Seconds before it actually hit him though, Naruto's chakra flared up and a wall of chakra burst forth and repelled the wind.

The Ichibi blinked in confusion, not quite sure what it'd just seen. It could see that Naruto was obviously not aware of what he'd just done, or was even well enough to stand again. And yet he stood, defiantly glaring it down as though he actually stood a chance against the tailed beast.

Before it could attempt to throw him off again, Naruto's head snapped up. Any and every word the Ichibi might have had to say died in its throat as it found itself staring into what could only be considered the tailed beasts variation of a nightmare. Formerly blue eyes were now _completely_ blue, a layer of chakra turning the eyes to the color of his chakra as he stared it down.

For the Ichibi the pieces had finally came together. **"Stubborn, focused on keeping his word, his promises, glowing blue eyes…it can't be. He can't be…one of those damned Uzumaki!"**

Naruto flexed his hands experimentally. His left arm had a good chunk of skin ripped off from the Ichibi's attack in his apartment, and was practically dead at the moment. Grimacing as he ripped a piece of his haori off and made a crude bandage on the fly. Nodding to himself despite his obviously shoddy work, he assumed a battle stance once more. "Alright then sand man; time for round two!"

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AN: That's right ladies and gentlemen, Naruto's keyword is; DATTEBAYO! (thunderous cheering and applauding, accompanied by boo's) Yes, I feel it's kinda corny to have his catchphrase doubling as his keyword, but there will be some explanation when Naruto enters his mindscape after the battle…maybe. Either that, or I'll just say 'that's his word deal with it'. I've heard that sort of stuff works when you have absolute power of a world. Hm…nah, I want you guys to keep reading.

Just so you know, I imagine the Ichibi as a psycho. It's just so easy to think of it as a hunter, who _wants_ its prey to run. It just didn't realize that it pissed off the bull that's gonna gore it good next chapter.

Silly Sasuke, not even you are allowed to be resistant to a woman's charms. You just need the right stimulant, and bang! In this case, Anko's teasing showed him he _is_ still a hormonal teenager. Gotta love Anko for that. It's just too easy to have a lot of fun with her!

Next time on Word of Honor; _Round Two!_ Finishing up the fights, and filling in some of the fighting holes.


	25. Round Two

Yes, I made the nii/nee mistake last chapter. No it was not intentional, I just don't speak Japanese, and I didn't catch it when I looked over the chapter before posting it. Honest mistake…honest. Itachi is still a dude, and unless people want to continue to point it out because it annoys them so much, I'm moving on.

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Kishimoto does. Heck, I don't own me; my Muse does. And she dragged me around and demanded this be posted now, so make sure to thank her. It'll help sooth her ego.

* * *

**Word of Honor**

_Chapter 25: Round Two!_

"Stay back! I'm warning you!"

"Hold on, he's got a hostage."

Dosu was no fool. He had absolutely no escape from this situation, unless he kept his former opponent in between himself and these Konoha shinobi. She'd made a good choice not facing him since she went down with one quick swing of his arm and blast of sound to injure her inner ear. Unfortunately, she'd had earplugs and he'd been forced to physically restrain her; which turned out for the best since he'd needed her to keep himself alive.

"Stay back!" Dosu growled, his kunai pressed tightly against her throat. He kept his back against the wall to ensure that no one snuck up on him. He did know of a few techniques that could get an opponent behind him, but he also knew how to counter most of them.

One of the five chunin who was standing around him, nervously switching his kunai from a reversed grip to a normal grip. "Don't do anything stupid kid. Let the girl go, and we'll talk this over."  
"Yeah, because that's what you're gonna do. Like I'm going to believe that." Dosu snarled, pressing the kunai tighter against his hostage's throat. "Make one stupid move and I swear she dies."

One of the other chunin, one who bore an uncanny resemblance to the girl he was holding, tried to discreetly form a hand seal.

Dosu narrowed his visible eye. "Don't move!"

"Shintenshin no Jutsu (Mind Body Switch Technique)."

Dosu's eyes widened as he recognized the technique as the one the girl had used in the preliminaries to take over her opponents body. With a quick twitch his blade slid soundlessly across her throat. While he could feel the invading mind quickly dominating his body, the deed done.

A second later, Dosu's eye widened as he grabbed Ino. "Ino?" His head snapped at the surrounding chunin. "Don't just stand there, get a doctor!"

"I know some basic medical ninjutsu." A chunin said, dropping to his knees with his hands already glowing with the ethereal green light that signified the usage of said medical ninjutsu. "I don't know how to heal a wound like this, but this should work. It'll just form a clot to stem the flow of blood, so we'll have to get her to the hospital before it reopens."

'Dosu' nodded. Turning to the last of his companions, he gave them a sharp nod. "Take this kid into custody. I've got family to take care of."

Forming the release seal, the Yamanaka leapt from the Oto genin's body and into his own, stretching his arms over his head with several loud pops.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, just been a while since I had to do something that stupid." He muttered. Theoretically speaking, hitting a person by aiming the shoulder of someone else was easier then it was in practice. He himself had attempted the technique multiple times before, and failed.

It was by pure chance he'd been able to summon up the skill to perform the technique.

And now, as he watched his family member get taken to the hospital, he couldn't help but sigh in relief. He'd saved a part of his family, something he wouldn't have forgiven himself for otherwise. He felt quite proud of himself.

Suddenly, he heard his friend cry out in surprise and pain. Caught off guard, he could only watch as his long time friend's body was cast aside by the advancing Oto shinobi before the kunai was brought down and he knew no more.

**-xxxxx-**

Anko slunk around the buildings with a sound almost like a purr as she slipped into position. She was still in copious amounts of pain, but now it would be worth it. Her opponent had no idea what was coming for him, and would soon fall by her hands. The power seemed to pulse through her, and she had to stifle a fit of giggles as a ticklish sensation ran across her back.

Sasuke, on the other hand, felt like he was on top of the world. It hadn't taken long to realize why either. The moment he'd begun Anko's plan, he'd noticed the black marks forming on his left arm, slowly creeping further down. He'd recognized the same marks on Anko the entire time he'd been with her, realizing rather quickly what she had considering how obvious the marks were. But then, he didn't care.

Somehow or another, fighting this guy had turned into something else. He was having, for lack of a more 'moody' word, fun! His adrenaline was pounding through his head, the power seemed to fill whatever chakra he'd lost from his fight with Gaara so easily for a moment he forgot he'd fought at all.

As soon as he'd almost slipped into a fantasy of him triumphing over his brother, the image of his scared comrades popped into his head and brought him back from cloud nine. This power was tainted, and he was only using it because he needed too now. That was it.

He hoped.

"Time to die little genin!"

Sasuke grimaced as he rolled out of the way of the oncoming Tenma strike. The eel thing was faster then it looked, and while he'd only met it once or twice, it had already become annoying.

Rolling across the rooftop, he flicked several shuriken at his opponent, aiming specifically for the harp to take out the Tenma. Once the harp was gone, and the ugly creature removed, Anko could strike.

Just before they struck, Hiroto turned the harp on its side and batted the shuriken away. "You'll need more than that to stop me!"

As he spoke, Sasuke's eyes widened as something _new_ happened. The cursed seal mark had apparently reached a certain limit, having crossed every inch of his skin, and was now beginning to blend together. Where there once stood a pale man completely covered in grey camouflage, it almost looked like he'd been replaced with an orange skinned…thing.

"Damn. I knew I was pushing too hard." Hiroto muttered, flexing his fingers experimentally. "I can't believe you and that cast off managed to push me to 'level two'."

"Level _two?_" Sasuke asked eyes wide as he understood the implication. The seal he currently had was only one part of the power he could get. In front of him, was living proof that there was a way to get further power out of the cursed seal he'd been forcibly given.

"Yes, level two." Hiroto spat, sounding somewhat disgusted with what he was saying. "It's how Orochimaru-sama keeps you coming back for more. This, this is just a speck of rice in the field. Orochimaru has so many other projects that he'd developed, and many others he's perfected, that will bring the user nigh unlimited power."

"Unlimited…power?"

Sasuke's mind swam with the thought of how he could use that power. He imagined him being victorious over Itachi, he saw the defeat of any who opposed him. And then he saw…

Nothing. For the first time ever, Sasuke brought up a question that he'd never once considered. _'What would I do with the power after Itachi?'_ He wondered to himself. He had no answer to the question; a riddle only time answered.

"Yes, such power! Allow me to show you the extent of _my_ power!"

Sasuke cursed at being caught off guard, leaping back as Hiroto played his harp again. There was a distinct difference between the attacks before, and the current attack now; that being that this attack actually came from his harp, and was bearing down on him faster than any previous one.

Caught flatfooted by the new unexpected attack, Sasuke took the strike full force in the chest. Unlike the other attacks though, this one thankfully didn't have the destructive concussive power that the Tenma could unleash.

Didn't make it hurt less, but at least he wasn't dead.

Not wasting a second, Sasuke rolled with the blast and slid under it. Launching himself towards his opponent, he flashed through a string of seals.

"Katon: Housenka no jutsu (Fire Release: Mythical Fire Phoenix Technique)." Sasuke muttered, taking a deep breath. As he exhaled, he let loose several short burst that erupted into fireballs that began soaring towards Hiroto.

Hiroto scoffed for a moment at the inferior technique. His sound blast would blow the fires away with how weakly constructed they were. As his hand strayed to his harp however, his eyes went wide in shock as the fireballs turned into flaming birds. He had to wonder if he wasn't under a genjutsu as he swore he heard at least on bird-like screech from them.

"Enough!" Hiroto barked, maneuvering his Tenma to take the blow for him.

As the Tenma positioned itself to take the blow, the birds banked hard, avoiding the lumbering eel-beast and simply flew around. Their cargo, several shuriken that had been concealed by the flames, continued on their course and struck the Tenma unawares.

Hiroto back peddled as the birds rushed him. Realizing his mistake, he struck the cords of his harp harshly to unleash a sound blast. To his immense relief, the birds dissipated in one blast. Likely due to the fact their creator had been caught in the blast when he'd jumped over the Tenma to engage Hiroto in close quarters combat.

Hiroto laughed loudly at the Uchiha's predicament. "_This_ is the oh so great Uchiha? _This_ is the boy Orochimaru-sama wanted us to prepare for? You're hardly good enough to wipe the dirt from my shoes!" He kicked Sasuke roughly, strumming a genjutsu melody absentmindedly. "I suppose I can indulge you for a brief moment though, seeing as I need you to find your friend. Tell me where she is!"

"Why?" Sasuke asked, the adrenaline obviously messing with his head as he spoke with a cocky grin. "Did she stand you up on a date or something? Grow up and –"

Hiroto silenced Sasuke by kicking him again, increasing the pace of his melody. "You will tell me where she is, or I will make your very worst nightmares come to life. You will never be able to sleep soundly again, without the ever present fear for you _life_. You will suffer, in ways no one –"

"Thank you for warning me that you're planning on _bragging_ me to death." Sasuke muttered, gripping his side as he chuckled. "Seriously, if I wanted to die of boredom, I'd watch my fan girls fight over me. And even _that_ could be somewhat entertaining."

Another kick to his gut shut him up as he groaned in pain. Sasuke was really starting to think that his cursed seal was less of a gift, and more of a pain as he realized just how stupid he sounded. He almost sounded like Kiba or Naruto right then!

"You don't believe me? Well then, I will simply have to show you! Behold!"

Sasuke had to fight the urge to laugh, as the next kick would push him off the rooftop. "Oh no, I'm so scared. Whatever will I do? Ah, someone please. Anything but that." Sasuke said monotonously as he glanced up at Hiroto with a smirk and his Sharingan spinning. "I'm an Uchiha you idiot. Genjutsu doesn't work on me."

"Oh shit." Hiroto muttered, realizing his mistake a second to late.

Quick as a flash, Sasuke had sprung from his prone position on the ground. With kunai in hand, he slashed at Hiroto wildly. Hiroto took a step back, not needing more room than that to avoid Sasuke's slash. However, he quickly realized the actual target, as his harp was ripped from his hands and pulled behind Sasuke. Sasuke stumbled behind Hiroto, placing Hiroto at the edge of the roof as he watched his harp become a twisted heap of metal in the alleyway.

Before he could move, reposition himself, or even catch a breath, Sasuke was gripped by the neck and lifted into the air. "I don't care what anyone has to say about you. I don't care what plans Orochimaru has for you. You will die…now!"

Sasuke clawed desperately at Hiroto's hand, with out success as the hand gripped tighter. Without any air getting in, he could see the world around him going dark. Which meant he almost missed what happened next.

"Senei Jashu (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)."

Hiroto's eyes widened in surprise as he turned to look over his shoulder. There, resting with its fangs biting into his shoulder, was a little viper. And connected to the viper resting just behind him was another viper; the woman he'd been hunting smirking in a rather snake-like manner.

Sasuke took advantage of the shock as he twisted himself from Hiroto's grip. Taking further advantage of his shock, he gripped his wrist tightly and brought his feet together. Taking quick aim with his Sharingan, he lashed out with a spear-like duel kick that caught Hiroto in the jaw.

Poisoned, and now in pain, Hiroto stumbled back. Anko, having picked up on Sasuke's idea, quickly positioned herself like a bully's lackey behind Hiroto's legs as Sasuke kicked him in the face. When Hiroto tried to stumble backwards to regain his bearings, he stumbled into Anko, who assisted in his stumbling by pushing against the back of his knees. Without anything to support him anymore, Hiroto tumbled off of the rooftop and into the alleyway below. Anko peeked over the edge, wincing when she heard the sickening crunch of Hiroto's head landing solidly against the ground below. Watching for another couple of seconds, she finally nodded to herself when she saw the curse seal return to its former state.

"Well now. That…was…FUN!" Anko shouted, giggling as she clapped her hands together. Turning to Sasuke with 'sparkles' in her eyes, she smiled brightly. "Can we go find another one? I wanna play some more?"

Sasuke blinked in confusion, wondering what had just happened to the woman in front of him. "Uh…what?"

"Let's be super heroes! We can fight crime, and defeat the evil servants of Orochi the Stupidhead!" Anko declared with a certain finality that left little room for negotiations. As she stood however, she quickly fell on her face as she was reminded of her injured leg. "As soon as we get me medical attention!" Picking herself up, and looking at Sasuke with the widest, most innocent looking eyes he'd ever seen, she held her arms out and pouted. "Carry me?"

Sasuke felt his eyebrow slowly raise into his hairline at what had just transpire. _'Did she just shift through three different moods in thirty seconds? I knew girls were crazy, but this…this is ridiculous!'_

"Come on, carry me!" Anko said childishly. Seeing Sasuke giving her a 'no way' look, she suddenly grinned evilly. "I know where you live."

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow. "So?"

"I know who your fan girls are…and how to give them…directions."

Sasuke felt himself pale as he begrudgingly picked Anko up bridal style. "I swear, you're like someone took a fan girl, stuck her in an insane asylum, gave her sharp pointy objects, and the power to terrify people with just your mood swings."

"Hey, you listed all my best qualities! How did you know?" Anko asked curiously, tilting her head to the side rather cutely. It was quickly ruined by her next question. "Are you my secret stalker? I always wanted one of those. It's so funny when they think they're being subtle."

Sasuke had nothing to say as he made his way to the hospital. Then again there was nothing intelligent to say to that.

**-xxxxx-**

The Ichibi was _not_ currently fighting against an Uzumaki, who had _not_ activated his bloodline despite being so young, and was _not_ currently getting its butt kicked. Sadly, no matter how much he tried to fight it, the facts were very, very clear. The Ichibi was not going to win this fight.

Naruto gave a loud battle cry as he kicked the Ichibi in its chin. Following up faster than he'd ever imagined possible, he used his leg to build momentum to lash out a second time; this time to the Ichibi's gut. As it was violently blown away, Naruto charged after it.

Halfway between two buildings, Naruto struck. Gripping the underside of the Ichibi's jaw, where he could almost feel Gaara's real jaw beneath the sand, he move himself forward for a brief instant before yanking the Ichibi forward. As its head slammed into the building, Naruto turned on his heel and began running down the street; the Ichibi's head still in the wall, and being violently dragged through the buildings as Naruto rushed by.

Three buildings later, Naruto pushed himself in front of the Ichibi again and gripped the back of its head with his other arm. Throwing himself into a quick, sharp corkscrew, he whirled the Ichibi around before bringing it down headfirst in the ground.

Naruto panted heavily as he stumbled backwards. He'd been going all out since he'd gotten out from being pinned down by the building, and was feeling great. Sort of. In a way, it was more like every nerve in his body that was supposed to feel had been turned off, and he'd been given a moment of numbness to fill the void. It was a surreal feeling, especially since he was in the middle of a fight where the only reason he'd been awake through the pain had been the pounding of adrenaline.

Now, it was more like being in an empty room by himself. No air on his face, no one else around him, the feel of the ground was smooth, and even his breath seemed to escape him. Except, none of those were true; the opposite in fact.

"You going to get up again?" Naruto asked, motioning to the Ichibi's downed form. He knew it would take more than that to take the Ichibi out. If a building barely put a scratch on it, then his light beating was nothing.

The Ichibi didn't think quite the same way. In a way, ever hit from Naruto was like getting struck with a building, only concentrated to one point. It was sort of similar to when Lee had fought Gaara in the preliminaries, only Naruto was able to get through even thicker armor than Gaara had worn. It could feel Gaara's body beginning to bruise through the sand, and decided it had to act fast, _before_ the Uzumaki realized what he could do to it.

"**You're foolish boy…letting an enemy rest like that."** The Ichibi muttered as the sand that it had wrapped around its arm dug into the ground.

Before Naruto could respond, the arms exploded from the ground behind him and crashed down upon him. The Ichibi could feel him struggling within the sands, and smirked in triumph.

"**Sabaku Kyuu (Desert Coffin)****!"**

The sand that had formed loosely around Naruto tightened, forming a makeshift coffin of sand. Grinning like the maniac it was, it relished in the feeling of Naruto's struggling from within the sand. Feeling more confident in its victory, it lifted Naruto into the air, slowly reaching one of Gaara's arms in the direction of his prey.

"**Sabaku –"**

"Hell no!" Naruto shouted from within the sand, the sand suddenly bubbling around him.

Before the Ichibi's very eyes, the carefully constructed prison of sand burst apart, and Naruto glared down at him with a vengeful gaze. Filling the areas between the dispersed sand, Naruto's chakra pulsed around him, creating interference between the Ichibi and its normal sand. Realizing it had lost more than half of its sand to Naruto's chakra blast, it growled.

"**Foolish human. Do –"**

Any other words were caught in its throat as Naruto took a deep, over the top breath of air. As he did, all the chakra that had surrounded him was rapidly yanked back into his mouth. While this freed up the sand for the Ichibi's use once more, it had something much bigger to worry about. Mostly the little marble that Naruto quickly bit down on.

"Blegh!" Naruto said, looking rather sick as he spat out the condensed chakra.

The Ichibi drew every bit of chakra and piece of sand it could into forming a defense between itself and Naruto. The wall was hardly half formed when Naruto unleashed the attack, and to the Ichibi's horror, it ripped through the wall like a hot knife through butter. The only thing that save it was the fact that it was made with human chakra and was hardly anywhere close to the power of the _real_ attack. Sure Gaara would be waking up with a few ribs, but it wouldn't kill him.

"**Not…bad human."**

"Oh Kami, that was so wrong." Naruto muttered as he scrapped his fingers against his tongue roughly, spitting every couple of seconds. "I didn't want to know what my lunch tasted like after I ate it! Ugh, I'm gonna be sick."

The Ichibi blinked, realizing it had a golden opportunity to take him down. With only half its sand left, it collected it all around its right arm. Whipping it back, it smirked as it brought its arm down on Naruto. It struck dead on, with the force of a sledgehammer behind it, and positioned to snap the stupid genin in half.

To bad no one told Naruto that.

"What the heck?" Naruto asked, straightening as though nothing had happened. The sand arm, now nearly exhausted of chakra, fell apart and covered the blond in small bits of sand. "What the? Aw man, now I'm gonna get sand everywhere. What was that for?"

The Ichibi, now fully exposed as Gaara, fell to its knees as it panted hard. It had lost. Fully and soundly lost. Whatever chakra it had left was now being used to maintain hold over Gaara's body as he slept.

Looking up at Naruto, it realized Naruto was standing over it, his gaze hardened and focused on it. The Ichibi felt itself flinching, unable to meet the gaze of the Uzumaki. It didn't bother struggling as Naruto grabbed it by Gaara's shirt and lifted it up to look at him face to face.

"Look at me." Naruto said, quietly at first. Then, much louder. "Look at me!"

The Ichibi twitched, slowly turning to meet Naruto's gaze. "Yes?"

The Ichibi cursed under its breath as it realized its darker voice had left it when the sand had slid off, leaving Gaara's normal tone in its place. It further solidified the weakened state Naruto had placed it in.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I won…you hear me? I won, and you lost."

"So?" The Ichibi asked, tilting its head curiously. Where was this deranged boy going with this?

"In war…the winners make the terms…for the losers." Naruto said, feeling more constricted as he spoke. He'd remembered that particular lesson, mostly because he'd figured he'd use it on Sasuke someday to get him to forfit Sakura. He shook his head, trying to chase the spots that flashed across his vision.

"Oh." The Ichibi said, its eyes slowly shifting out of focus as it continued to speak. "What is it that you wish then?"

Naruto paused, stumped by the simple question. He'd been fighting so hard, he couldn't think of what he'd planned on doing next. A second later though, he felt Han'ishiki push what would probably end up being best for him. "You…you won't try and hurt any other Konoha shinobi…or anyone allied with Konoha…in any way. You understand?"

"Yes." The Ichibi muttered, inwardly grinning. The blond didn't know the true power he held, and he wasn't using it on it. It still had a chance, it still –

Naruto obviously wasn't satisfied by this halfhearted answer. Lifting it up as high as he could considering his short stature, he shook it slightly as he shouted at it. "Promise me!"

'_**Aw shit.'**_ "I promise…to not attack any Konoha shinobi, or those allied with them."

Naruto nodded. "Good." Smiling lightly, he set the Ichibi down. "You know, I understand you more then you'd think."

"Really?" The Ichibi said, sarcasm dripping off its words. A mere mortal understanding a demon? Preposterous.

"Yeah, I do. 'Cause I'm just like you." Naruto said silently, gripping its shoulder. The look of pain and understanding looked like Naruto was attempting to pierce through it with his gaze alone, tearing through layer upon layer of defense. Rather quickly, it retreated from the presence of this titan, and shoved Gaara forwards. Gaara blinked in confusion as he heard Naruto continue to speak. "The only difference between us is that _you_ know your family and could still have a chance with them. Me? I'm on my own." He chuckled lightly as he patted it on the shoulder. "I'm made of tough stuff though. I won't go that easily, and I won't lose!"

As he said that, the chakra that had once covered his eyes slid away. If he'd been able to hold off for another second, he might have been protected from the oncoming blow. He might have turned around and recognized his assailant and potentially retaliated.

As it was, he didn't, and he never saw the iron battle fan as it struck the side of his head. All he knew was that he was talking to Gaara, and he missed the rest of the battle.

**-xxxxx-**

"Move faster."

"I am moving faster! In case you forgot, you're still draining my chakra. So excuse me if I move a bit slow!"

Shino sighed as he turned to his captive. Almost surprisingly, the moment Shino had appeared in front of Kankuro, the boy had thrown up his hands and surrendered. He'd imagined a clash of Naruto proportions (completely over the top with a side of explosives) and was rather disappointed when he'd been given an easy win. Granted, he wasn't going to linger on it, but he really wished that he'd had a bit more of a fight to hold over his companions.

As it was, he was stuck with his prisoner trailing after him and uninjured for the most part. The only thing he'd been suffering from was near chakra exhaustion, and that was because his kikaichuu were eating the chakra in his hands to prevent him from using any techniques. Better safe than sorry.

"I have told my kikaichuu to focus on your hands, not your legs. You should therefore be able to move with more than enough efficiency. Now, if you don't mind, we must get moving." Moving his glassed up to the bridge of his nose so they glinted dangerously, he continued. "And if you attempt to escape again, I'll find you."

Kankuro shuddered at that statement. He'd tried to draw Shino's attention from his siblings to give them a few more moments before they got there by ducking into an alley. It turned out that the bugs on his arms were far more resilient then he though, and had quickly chomped through half of his chakra before he realized that Shino was simply looking down on him from the roof above him waiting for him to return and follow him. Apparently, if he fell too far behind or got too close, the bugs ate his chakra.

He'd quickly marked the Aburame as a 'never engage again' opponent, and followed after him.

"We're close." Shino said, turning to his right.

Kankuro raised an eyebrow at his statement. Despite his situation, he couldn't help but be sarcastic. "Really now? And what makes you say that?"

Shino didn't answer verbally, simply pointing in front of him. Peaking around Shino, Kankuro blanched at the wanton destruction that littered the area in front of him. It looked like a large group of shinobi had rampaged through there; not some goofball genin, his sister, and his psychopathic demon possessed brother.

"Uh…yeah, that looks right." Kankuro muttered. If the damage had been caused by the Konoha genin, then that meant that he'd somehow managed to avoid getting immediately crushed by the Ichibi's sands. That meant either he was being toyed with, or Konoha had some legitimantly good genin in its midst. He shuddered at the thought. The green leotard wearing one had been bad enough; punching through Gaara's sand shield like it wasn't there, with _brute force alone_ to boot. The goofball genin had been able to make copies; which meant that the Ichibi would get annoyed fast. He pitied the boy.

"It looks like Naruto-san has come out victorious."

"Say what?" Kankuro asked, scrambling to the edge of the roof to look at the boys. Sure enough, Naruto was standing in front of Gaara with his hand on Gaara's shoulder. It almost looked like he was having a casual conversation, but that was ridiculous. His brother was obviously possessed by the Ichibi. Any hope for a 'casual conversation' was little to none.

A soft grunt caught his attention as he noticed Temari land on another roof closer to the duo. He smiled at her obviously more developed survival skills, figuring she'd gotten away the moment the Ichibi woke up. This quickly morphed into a look of shock as he realized that she had pulled out her fan and was aiming for the blond. _'There's no way…she's not…'_

Leaping off the building, Temari landed deftly behind Naruto, fan positioned to strike. Before Shino or Naruto could react, she brought the fan around and let it collide harshly with the boy's skull. He stumbled to the side, not seeming to recognize the damage, before falling over into unconsciousness.

The only sign that Shino had moved from Kankuro's side was the sudden noise of his bugs steadily sucking on his charka as he fell behind. Cursing under his breath, he followed after the bug boy.

Shino saw what happened, but couldn't quite believe it. Naruto was never the most observant of his surroundings, but he'd also been tired from all the fighting he'd obviously been through. Taking charge of the situation, he figured he had it in him for one last shot.

Whipping his arms forward, he sent two small swarms of kikaichuu towards Temari, blindsiding her in a similar fashion to the way she'd blindsided Naruto. The bugs covered her quickly, sapping her of the rather full amount of chakra she'd maintained throughout the skirmish. Shino silently thanked the girl for keeping as much chakra as she had; it meant that his bugs wouldn't have to 'snack' off his chakra quite as much after a battle.

"Get off me!" Temari shouted, her struggling quickly lessening as her chakra and energy faded from her. "He won't hurt Gaara…he won't."

Shino raised an eyebrow at her words, while Kankuro let his jaw hand loose. Neither was quite sure what to make of what she'd just said, especially since it hadn't looked like Naruto was injuring Gaara with his current actions. Although, considering the state of their surroundings, they couldn't quite blame her for thinking he'd injure him.

Turning to his more logical side, Shino motioned for the majority of his bugs to return to him. "Stand up."

Temari glowered at him, spitting at him as she spoke. "Bite me."

"As you wish." Shino made a hand seal, sending the command to his kikaichuu. A second later, Temari's eyes widened as she howled in pain, fighting every nerve in her body to not try and scratch the bugs off. She scrambled to her feet, panting and wincing in pain, she glowered at Shino's nod of approval. "Better."

"So what now?" Kankuro asked, eyeing the bugs that were attached to Temari. Suddenly, his form of resistance didn't seem quite as bad as what Temari's had been.

Shino sighed. This was not quite what he'd figured on. He'd thought they'd grab _one_ of the Kazekage's kids, and then they'd take that _one_ kid to their Anbu to have them detained until they could be used to barter for an end to the war. Instead, they'd somehow managed to get all three of them, knocked Naruto out, and left him trying to make the decisions. In the words of Shikamaru; how troublesome.

"I…I will watch over my siblings."

Shino casually glanced at Gaara, his eyebrow slightly raised. He'd just gotten done fighting Naruto, and now he was going to help them? It sounded too much like a potential hostage situation for his liking.

Seeing the obvious skepticism in Shino's look, Gaara scowled. "I won't hurt him…I can't. If I hurt him, mother will hurt me." He cocked his head to the side, as though listening to some disembodied voice. After a couple seconds, he turned back to Shino. "I won't hurt you either. Mother promised. Mother doesn't want your blood."

"Okay then." Shino said, noticing that the other two were acting on Gaara's cues, and were looking at him with a mixture of awe and confusion. Nodding to himself, Shino was rather glad that he'd have part of his work load taken from him. He picked up Naruto and threw him over his shoulder as gently as possible. "We'll report to Anbu first. Follow me."

And they followed him. Shino expected them to try and overwhelm him at multiple points during their journey. But a light mumble from Gaara at the proper moment seemed to draw their attention away from Shino, making their trip far smoother then it would have otherwise.

After dropping the three off into Anbu custody, Shino made his way to the hospital and dropped Naruto off. After explaining the situation to the best of his abilities, he watched as his comrade was looked over for a few moments before the doctor performing the diagnosis suddenly began shouting for other doctors to help him. There was something about a jumpstart jutsu, and several other medical techniques he'd never heard of.

The last thing he saw of Naruto throughout the rest of the invasion was Naruto being rapidly hooked up to several monitors, with the one monitoring his heart trilling loudly that his heart had just stopped as he was rushed into the E.R.

* * *

AN: Ain't I a stinka?

No, I'm not killing off Naruto in this chapter…or Ino for that matter. However, considering the power he'd just received, and the previous damage, I think it's safe to say Naruto's body is going to be crashing pretty quickly. No power comes without a consequence, especially in my writing. Plus, it means I can screw with your heads further! Let's count them off now; Hinata, Ino, Anko, Naruto, and possibly Sasuke are all in the hospital…one of which is going to be there in such a condition that requires the Tsunade Arc. Why? 'Cause it'll also help explain some other cool stuff! Why? 'Cause my muse wanted to do a rendition of the arc. Blame her.

The end fights were a bit short. Then again, that's probably for the best. I mean seriously, Kishimoto's fights are getting…over the top. Everyone has to have some sort of dramatic thingamabob to make them special. (which is kinda what Naruto had for this *facepalm*) And better yet, he has them explain it either right then and there, or _dozens and dozen_ of chapters later. In my story, that gets explained _after_ they beat their opponent to tar (up to 3 chapters or so). It simplifies it, and makes you readers ask "What just happened?" and then whimper in pain as you realize you must wait for the next chapter for the information you seek. (evil laugh)

And speaking of next chapters…

Next time on Word of Honor; _The Morning After_. The aftermath and revelation of how much damage was wrought upon Konohagakure no Sato, along with a very strange dream.


	26. The Morning After

Disclaimer: I don't ownz Naruto.

* * *

**Word of Honor**

_Chapter 26: The Morning After_

There was an eerie sort of silence that ran through the village the morning after the invasion of Suna and Oto shinobi forces. Konoha shinobi lined the walls, Oinin (hunter ninja) seeking out the stragglers, Ibiki and the members of Torture & Interrogation had their hands full taking care to look over all their prisoners, and various groups of chunin and jonin began seeking out any domestic threats. All in all, the clean up of Konohagakure was going rather smoothly.

With the council of clan elders, things were going less than smoothly. They'd gathered that morning, having locked down and driven all invading forces from their homes. With sentries posted, and the forces within each clan focused on any force that may come, they'd had enough time to quickly strategize whatever needed to be strategized.

"Alright, is everyone here?" Homura asked, looking between the clan elders. He looked somewhat nervous in his position, having to lead the council for the time being. While he'd been an advisor, he'd never been one to be giving the orders that would make or break the village. He felt like he had a better understanding of what his former teammate might have felt like during similar meetings, and felt his respect for him rise significantly.

"I would presume so, unless we are still waiting on the Sandaime." Yamanaka Inoichi asked, noting the distinct lack of their esteemed leader in their midst.

Homura flinched at the quick, blunt question. However, it was also a major point that they needed to address as quickly as possible. "Sarutobi…the Sandaime Hokage, is dead."

There was no yelling of outrage, or muttering of confusion at his statement. Only stunned silence. Everyone knew Sarutobi Hiruzen to some extent or another, especially due to his status as the Hokage. To hear of his death, thought not unexpected, was not something they'd expected to hear so soon after being invaded.

The silence was eventually broken as one of the minor clan head's spoke up. "He was in the flaming box on the Kage's booth, wasn't he?"

Homura nodded, somewhat surprised that news of that particular event had gotten around before the Sandaime's death had spread. "Yes. He was fighting his former student, Orochimaru."

A few of the clan heads looked dejected at hearing this, while a few others had apparently been left out of the loop. If it weren't so serious, he might've been interested in watching as Aburame Shibi looked surprisingly startled for a brief second before returning to a neutral expression.

Shibi was also the first to begin 'proper' questioning. "If that is true, have we begun to look through potential candidates for his replacement."

On his left, Homura felt Danzo shift slightly. Despite everything, Danzo had _not_ been recommended to be Hokage, and was surprisingly calm about that. He'd sworn that, with the position open for such a window of opportunity, he'd jump in and take the spot.

"Not quite yet. There is talk of Hatake Kakashi taking the spot, but with him training a team, and the fact that we are unsure of many things, we have looked on to other options. Any suggestions?"

The clan heads looked between one another, none of them quite willing to speak their minds without knowing who they'd have backing them. In his younger years, Homura might've smiled at how the clan head seemed to be telepathically talking to one another despite sitting right next to each other. It was rather amusing after all.

Hyuuga Hiashi slowly stood, drawing the attention of the other heads. "Perhaps, Jiraiya would be willing to take the Hokage's position?"

Homura mulled it over. Jiraiya did have many of the necessary qualifications for becoming Hokage; strong, a charismatic leader, and had a refined amount of techniques he'd learned from his toad summons to back him up. Despite his…unsightly tastes, he _would_ make for the best Hokage.

There was just one problem with that.

"He won't accept." Danzo said, with just enough volume to get everyone's attention. "While he might chalk it up to his side projects, Jiraiya has had a very important job to undertake while outside the village. After all, he is the residential spy master for Konohagakure."

"Oh really? And how well did that help us out during the invasion?" The minor clan head who'd spoken earlier said, of the opinion that there might've been more he could have done to warn Konoha.

Danzo didn't miss a beat. "Regardless of what you may wish to believe, we only lost half the forces we could've had we not been otherwise informed. The snake summon for example, was positioned near a heavily populated sector of the village, where it would have kill shinobi and civilian alike. Because he made it there in time, Jiraiya was capable of halting the snake and forcing it to return to the summon realm."

Hiashi nodded in agreement before interjecting. "That's all well and good Danzo-san, but how does that have to do with his spy network?"

"I was getting to that Hyuuga-dono." Danzo said, his single eye opened slightly to give them a blank but firm look. "Jiraiya has many other things occupying his time at the moment, and has been attempting to learn of our enemies movements. However, for the invasion in particular, he discovered a secondary wave of forces that was just outside the wall. Their purpose was to allow the first wave to fall back to the tree line, and then ambush our Oinin and unleash a second wave upon us. Because we had this information, our Anbu forces were able to strike them down and prevent such losses."

This information was not entirely true. Jiraiya's spy network had only warned him of the summon that had broken through their wall, though not of _where_ the summon would appear. The information he'd just given to the clan heads was from his own spy network, and the forces used to take them out were from Root. With the way he worded it though, it would appear that Jiraiya was the one who had kept their forces from further harm.

"I see." Hiashi said, thinking over what the implications of this information would mean. For his own home, he'd had to rush to the hospital to drop off Hinata before rushing to the compound, stopping only every so often to strike down a shinobi of the opposing faction that dared get in his way. Had the second wave washed through, they Hyuuga may have very well been overrun.

"Alright, and what of the damages?" Nara Shikaku asked, resting his hands together as he listened intently to what was going on. He didn't fully believe what Danzo had told them, but without any evidence to the contrary, he'd see what was going on for now.

Homura sighed. "At least a quarter to a third of our infrastructure in the civilian districts has been damaged. The actual damage to most of the clan compounds is minimal, but from what we've seen, we estimate that there are dozens who died from each clan during the conflict. At the moment, we can only speculate though." Each of the clan heads nodded, understanding that there would be a time to count their dead. "If we have finished driving the shinobi who served under Orochimaru, we should be able to hold a funeral for the departed within a week."

"A week?" Inoichi said, looking at Homura skeptically. "You really believe that Oto will simply leave us alone after their failed strike?"

"It's not so much they will leave us alone, as they've likely fulfilled their objective." Shibi said, getting Inoichi's attention. "Orochimaru is their leader, and it's quite likely that the other shinobi he brought were simply there to keep _us_ from attempting to break him out. Had he gone in alone, we would have thrown everything we had at the barrier, and potentially succeeded had the conditions been right. The invasion was just a large scale distraction for that purpose."  
"Besides that, we need to begin rebuilding as soon as possible." Danzo tapped the fingers of his left and only hand against the table; the only outward sign of his impatience. He needed to look over the progress of his Root assassins before the end of the day, and this meeting would simply drag on and he'd be stuck there. Root could work on its own, but there was a reason he was in charge.

Homura noticed the tapping, and decided to try wrapping things up. "Alright then, let's move on to the arrangements for the funeral."

"Hold on." Koharu said, speaking for the first time during the meeting. "What about the progress tracking down Konohamaru?"

Homura raised an eyebrow in confusion. He had _not_ been informed about anything like that. "I'm sorry?"

Across from Koharu, he noticed the Inuzuka clan head Tsume wince. "We've got some of the best trackers in our clan looking for him. So far, they're hot on their heels, but it might not be enough."

"What haven't you told us Koharu?" Danzo said, his tapping suddenly gone as his attention was reclaimed.

"The grandson of the Sandaime, Sarutobi Konohamaru, was abducted from the Academy during the invasion." Koharu explained, getting a rather shocked expression from the entirety of the clan heads. "I asked Tsume to send trackers after him once we got word of this, and to keep it quiet so as to not alert the general populace."

"We?" Homura asked, noting the way Koharu subtly shifted in discomfort.

"A…an old civilian contact." Koharu said. Homura and Danzo shared a look, both knowing only one person that would have information within the village before they themselves did. "We both agreed that if the populace heard of the abduction, it would cause a panic. We just lost the Sandaime Hokage. Learning that his grandson was also a target of Orochimaru's…"

All of the clan head nodded in agreement. The civilians would be up in arms about this if they got wind of this, mostly due to the fact that it appeared that Orochimaru was planning on destroying what was left of the Sarutobi clan, one by one. Having a certain amount of pride in the clans that kept them safe, the very thought that Orochimaru had even one member of one of their clans –especially considering what he'd done to other clan members he'd gotten his hands on who generally held a bloodline of some sort– they would badger them for as long as they remembered him for them to get them back.

Considering who their opponent was, no one in that room was confident in their ability to do so once the Oto shinobi crossed the border.

"Alright then, we understand. Assemble a group of Oinin to seek him out if they get across the border. Until we receive a report from the Inuzuka trackers though, we must go over the last of our objectives." Homura said, rubbing his fingers gently against his temples, wishing that he didn't have to make such a difficult decision.

'_Well, now I get why Hiruzen was always so frustrated by these meetings.'_ Homura thought, as they continued the meeting.

**-xxxxx-**

Tadao groaned as he watched Ayame loudly cursing as she tried scrubbing the blood out of her outfit from the previous day. Somehow, despite the fact that Ayame's attacks had struck from a distance, she'd gotten close enough to get some on her. It happened no matter what kind of mission she found herself on, and she always reacted the same way.

"Come on! Get out of my pants!"

Her shouting very odd things at the blood in her clothes. It had become so repetitive that Tadao could normally ignore it. Today however, it was giving him a grating headache, and he was dangerously close to snapping at her.

All that night, Tadao had kept an open eye for any Ne members that might've found Izo's hideout, and reported back to the three old conspirators. And throughout the night, nothing had happened. No Oto shinobi had sought them out, no retreating Suna shinobi had stumbled on the mess Ayame had made and at least_ tried_ to find them, and Ne had been mysteriously absent. For their group, it would be a normal night. For Tadao, it meant that his efforts were taking longer then he'd have liked.

He'd expected Danzo to have moved a team to track him down the moment he'd finished talking to them. If not then, then during the invasion. Instead, he'd remained quiet.

"Ayame, shut up."

Tadao turned to the third member of his 'team' as he walked in, glaring at Ayame as she paused in her washing. The moment he walked in, Ayame shifted her attitude from psychopathic cleaner, to 'cutesy' girl. Tadao rubbed the back of his neck with a wince, wondering how she hadn't gotten whiplash from the sudden change.

"Yuudai! Where've you been?" Ayame said gleefully as she spun around.

Tadao rolled his eyes at the strange on again off again way Ayame and Yuudai interacted. One day, Ayame would get on Yuudai's nerves. The next, she'd be acting so sweet Tadao wondered how he hadn't gotten sick watching them. More confusingly, he had no idea how Yuudai was able to stick around her with her ever changing attitude. Odd.

"I've been...cleaning up some things." Yuudai said, giving a brief look to Tadao.

Tadao's eyes widened slightly behind his mask as he understood what Yuudai was saying. Somehow, Yuudai had figured out what he'd done. And suddenly, everything made sense.

Members of Ne _had_ tried to follow him. It was possible that they _had_ found their hideout. And then Yuudai took them out.

"Oh, okay then. Did you have fun?" Ayame said, her eyes wide and her smile surprisingly sweet.

"Meh, it was alright. I probably should've asked for a little backup thought." Yuudai shrugged. "I'm not saying it was too hard for me to handle on my own."

"Of course not." Ayame said, sliding over to Yuudai. She quickly wrapped herself around him, nuzzling his cheek. "We all know better than to mess with the big bad wolf."

"You'd be surprised. Hey, can you do something for me?" Yuudai asked. Seeing Ayame nod, he continued. "Can you head to the dojo? I need to talk with Tadao for a moment, but I'll be with you in a moment."

Ayame's eyes seemed to sparkle the moment he said 'dojo'. "Yosh! I'll totally beat you this time!" She scurried around him, throwing a cheerful wave over her shoulder. "Don't take too long Yuudai!"

Yuudai nodded, waiting until after Ayame closed the door before turning his glare onto Tadao. Tadao ignored the glare with a chuckle. "So, you guys are at the point where you don't even have to add kun or chan now, eh?"

Yuudai was unimpressed with Tadao's attempt to dodge what he knew was coming. "Cut the crap Tadao-san. What were you thinking? Did you really think that you could just draw a giant bulls-eye on your back and no one would notice?"

"Actually, the whole point of the bulls-eye was to get noticed." Tadao said, facing nonchalance as best as he could. "I mean, in the fight of shinobi verse shinobi, changing the rules is the only way you'll live."

"Yeah, but you need to change the current rules." Yuudai said, running his hand through his hair with a disgruntled sigh. "Did it ever occur to you that Izo-sama knows all about the councilor's little play dates, and that he's been using them to dance around their operation? Because if he'd just had us being thrown around by the seat of our pants, we'd have bumped heads with members of Ne on past operations."

Tadao blinked in confusion. "Wait, Izo-sama's known about the old councilors and their little games? For how long?"

"Probably since the… 'games' as you put it, began." Yuudai replied. Leaning against the door he looked Tadao over, chuckling as he watched him processing the information. "Wow, you were definitely trying to fly by the seat of your pants. You didn't even bother to think this through."

"I did so! I just, missed a few details." Tadao muttered.

"Very important details." Yuudai pushed himself off the wall, lightly smacking Tadao upside his head. "Next time you want to do something stupid, let me know so I can get front row seats to watch it blow up in your face."

Tadao blinked, watching as Yuudai walked out of the room. A thought striking him as he scrambled after him. "Yuudai-san!" Seeing his companion pause, he quickly pressed on. "During your…clean up. Were you ordered to clean it up, or did you do it on your own?"

Yuudai was silent, not turning around or acknowledging what Tadao had asked. Frowning, Tadao began focusing chakra in the direction of his friend. Normally, he was prepared and defended against whatever Tadao would do, but for the first time he was allowing Tadao in. After skimming over what he already knew, he moved on to what he wanted to know. The only way it could have been easier to find it would have been if Yuudai had lit it on fire.

"I see." Tadao mumbled. He chewed on the inside of his lip apprehensively, thinking over what this meant for his future plans. Turning to Yuudai again, he cursed aloud as he realized that he was now alone in the hallway. Walking back to his own room, he grit his teeth as he spoke incoherently under his breath. "Freaking Yuudai and his sneaky shinobi skills."

**-xxxxx-**

Sasuke stared at the person in front of him, looking like someone had just dropped an exploding tag in front of him. His eyes were wide, and his mouth was slightly agape, slowly forming the one word he was trying to say.

"No."

"Come now Uchiha-san." The nurse pleaded to the currently cornered Sasuke. "We need you to stay in the hospital for observation. Your injuries are still rather –"

"Serious? I didn't get hit once!" Sasuke objected, glaring at the nurse with a surprisingly heated glare.

The nurse sighed, wishing that Sasuke would be more cooperative. "No, but you _are_ suffering from minor chakra exhaustion, as well as possible chakra burns."

"And you figured this out…when?" Sasuke asked raising an eyebrow.

"During the examination we gave you when you dropped off Mitarashi-san." The nurse explained.

Sasuke gave the nurse a flat stare for another moment before speaking again. "…chakra exhaustion?"

"And potential chakra burns."  
Sasuke groaned in frustration as he gave in, allowing the nurse to taking to an empty room. Her hands were quickly shrouded in the soothing green light as she ran her hands over his back.

As her hands ran over the left side of his back, he felt her suddenly pause. Craning his neck around, he raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"The chakra burns seem to be focused primarily on the left side of your body. It's a bit strange to see chakra burns acting like this. Normally they're condensed around ones stomach and hands, not on your back."

"Then why were you wasting your time on my back?" Sasuke asked.

To his surprise, the nurse rapped him gently on the back of his head. "Don't you know anything about chakra exhaustion, so why are you asking me such a silly question?"

Sasuke turned forwards, trying to hide the fact he was gritting his teeth as he spoke. "Because I would like to know what you're doing."

Had he been looking at the nurse, he would have seen her blush at the reprimand. "Right, sorry. Let me explain it as simply as possible then. In the body there are eight 'gates' that one has that regulates what the body can and cannot do. Despite what many believe, one _can_ use more chakra then they have." Sasuke whipped his head around with a startled look, and she quickly corrected herself. "But only a little bit more! The body has extra chakra stored in the gates, which is usually used to help regulate what the body can and cannot do. When a person uses too much chakra, when they'd normally die from exhaustion, some of the chakra in the gates is released to compensate for it. And, since most of those points are located along the spine, I needed to look over those points first, before continuing my diagnosis."

Sasuke nodded, inwardly scowling at himself. _'Even my own body is keeping me from getting strong enough to kill Itachi.'_

"Thing is, from what I can tell by the burns on your back, it's almost like you were poisoned during your fight. But as you said before, there's not a scratch on you."

The nurse muttered. Before Sasuke could continue with his questions, there was a loud commotion outside their room. The nurse looked startled, but was calm as she gave Sasuke a firm 'stay here' look before quickly walking out to help with whatever was going on. Were it not for the fact they were currently in a state of post-war crisis, Sasuke might've rolled his eyes.

Instead, he pulled out a kunai that he'd managed to slip into his sandal and held it in a defensive position. If he'd had enough chakra to safely use it, he would've snapped on his Sharingan as a precaution. With what the nurse had just told him though, he wasn't quite willing to push himself that far. He'd seen what had happened to Lee.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly rose. His eyes darted around, trying to determine the source of the sensation. By the time he realized that the feeling was familiar, and coming from the _left_ side of his neck, it was too late.

"Banzai!"

Sasuke was knocked off his feet, not even getting a chance to let out a disgruntled grunt as he was tackled to the floor. He struggled for a moment, his mind quickly thinking of the person as an enemy who'd attacked him for whatever reason. When he'd moved enough to look over his shoulder though, he felt himself far more confused then before.

"Please hide me from the needles! I don't want a shot! I don't need a shot!"

"Anko-san?"

The normally 'exhibitionistic' kunochi was currently wearing a hospital gown looking rather pleased with herself as she hugged herself tighter into Sasuke's back. "Please don't let them find me. They keep poking me with needles…I don't like needles."

"Anko-san…could you please get off me?" Sasuke gasped. Despite her lithe form, there was some obvious power behind her; as seen by the fact that she was currently trying to crush him with a hug.

"Eh? But why?" Anko rubbed herself against his back in a way that would make most other men squirm. "Don't you like this?"

"Not really, no." Sasuke muttered.

Anko pouted, letting go of him only to sit on his back. "Mugyuu. You're no fun."

"Anko-san, would you please. Get. Off!" Sasuke hissed.

"Hm…no."

"Get off!"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't know." Anko whispered, her cheery mood slowly fading. As it faded, a look of pain and frustration took its place. "I just…there's something wrong with me. When you or those Oto shinobi were around, I was alright. When I'm by myself, or around other people, I feel like I'm going through withdrawal. And believe me I know what that feels like."

"Really now?" Sasuke asked, genuinely interested and completely lost on what she was saying.

"Yup! I'm currently one month sober!" Anko said, pumping her fist into the air. The childishness snapped away again, leaving the pained expression again. "Then again, that's only because I haven't been able to move around without every move hurting me. It's like…I'm being drugged for interrogation, only they don't have any questions to ask me. I'm awake and aware, but everything feels…more."

"More?"

"I can't describe it. It's just…more." Anko leaned down, pulling the collar of his shirt down far enough to uncover his cursed seal. "Just like how I knew this was here, and knew _you_ were here, even though I didn't a moment ago."

Sasuke stared at Anko, suddenly more uncomfortable than before. He grimaced as he watched her stare at his shoulder, like it somehow held the secrets of the universe on it. Then her hand went to her own shoulder, rubbing it in a way that showed she was obviously uncomfortable.

"My masters little piece of work…probably upgraded since he put it on me." Anko muttered, not seeming to care that Sasuke's eyes widened in realization of what she was talking about. Turning away from him, she sighed and got off him. "Sorry 'bout that, I'm…not quite feeling like myself right now."

"…I understand." Sasuke muttered, his mind trying to figure out what was going on. _'Crazy fan girl-like sneak attack, then 'sane' talk about her seal? I'm probably missing something here…I just don't know what yet.'_

As he thought over what he could have missed, Anko's head snapped towards the door. "Aw man, they found me."

Sasuke looked at the door, then at the open window. Thinking it over, he did possibly the stupidest thing he'd ever done in his life.

"Hide under the bed. I'll just tell them you jumped out of the window."

Anko's head snapped towards him. "Really?"

"Sure. I mean, your leg's already bandaged, and there doesn't appear to be anything else wrong with you. It wouldn't hurt me to have you stick around."

Anko gave him a scrutinizing stare before grinning widely. "Thanks Sasuke-chan!"

He allowed an obviously crazy person to stay in the same room as him.

**-xxxxx-**

Beep….beep…

"Get another doctor in here, we're losing him!" A doctor. One who'd been working all night long, and who was in desperate need of rest.

"How the hell did he do this? It's like his insides are trying to turn to mush." A nurse. She sounded so worried about him.

"Ask him when he's awake. Now help me get him stable!"

Beep…beep…

There was a field. A wide open space covered with so many beautiful flowers. Standing in the center of the flowers was a girl. He knew her from somewhere, maybe a dream, or a memory he'd long forgotten. And despite being surrounded by a field of beauty, his eyes wouldn't leave her.

She was crying, running away as he chased after her. What could have made her so sad? Why was she running? Didn't she understand that he was trying to help her?

As he got closer, she whirled around, her eyes wide with shock. His own eyes widened as well as he stumbled before her, falling flat on his face in a very unpleasant manner. As he rolled through the flowers, he eventually ended up on his back, staring at the sky above him. A few seconds later, she leaned over him, blocking his view of the sky. But that was okay, because he'd rather see her.

"Hinata."

Beep…beep…

"Sir, the girl in room seven is coding again." Someone new. Never heard him before.

"Kami, that the third time tonight. Get a cardiac specialist in there and keep her heart together! And how's the girl in room four?"

"Stable. We managed to get a blood transfusion on her before she lost too much blood. She should be up and about in a few days."

"Good."

Beep…beep…

Hinata looked so scared. Whenever he tried to reach for her she'd shuffle just out of reach. When he took a step forward, she took two steps back.

"What's wrong?"

Hinata's face scrunched up in thought, giving him a brief moment to try and close the distance between them. As soon as she was in arms length however, her eyes widened as she was overcome by a sudden fit of coughing. He screeched to a halt, unsure of what to do as she bent over in pain. His eyes widened in surprise as he noticed small flecks of red on the obviously not-red flowers.

She was coughing up blood.

Beepbeepbeepbeep…

"She's coding again!"

"Yeah, and he's going into shock! I can't be everywhere at once!"

"Damn it. I'll try and get someone else to help."

Beepbeepbeep…

"Hinata? Hinata!"

She had such a sad look on her face, lying in the flowers while bleeding out from the inside. He wanted to move her, get her medical help, do _something._ But no matter how much he tried to think of a solution, nothing happened.

Beep…beep….

"He's stable. How the girl in seven?"

"She's stable too, but…her hearts slowly failing. The stress of pumping blood keeps reopening her injuries, and unless we have someone healing her every hour she comes one step closer to death. We might have a seal that could put her in a sort of stasis for now, but if she doesn't get the proper help before the end of the month, she'll end up dying. You know how those stasis seals are."

"Damn it all to hell." The doctor sounded depressed, and for a second he thought he heard him placing his face into his palms. "I swear, this war is too close to home. All these kids don't deserve this, to die so young. We need a miracle."

"We need Tsunade."

Beep…beep…

The field looks less bright. Hinata's lavender eyes, normally holding a sort of unpolished glitter to them, look lifeless. He felt tears running down his face, as she said his name.  
"Naruto…kun."

"Hey Hinata-chan…"

"I'm not gonna make it…am I?"

Naruto bit his lip. He wanted to reassure her, to tell her that everything would be fine. However, he also didn't want to lie to her either. "I don't know."

"Oh…okay." She said, looking at the sky in a sleepy manner. "I'm just…gonna take a nap."

"No, don't go to sleep!" Naruto shouted, remembering all sorts of stories people told about how their loved ones would 'go to sleep' and then never wake again.

"Oi, gaki."

Naruto whipped his head around. The once endless field was suddenly replaced by a large castle-like structure, within a city that appeared bigger than even Konohagakure. Standing in front of the castle was a buxomest blond woman, and a dark haired woman holding a pig.

"What are you doing?" The blond asked, glaring at him with an oddly blank stare.

"I…" Naruto turned back to Hinata. "I don't know what to do."

"I do." The woman said, looking over his shoulder at Hinata. She had that doctor's look, the one where they were figuring out everything about you with one glance.

Naruto flinched as he looked up at her desperately. "Will you help her?"

The woman blinked at him in confusion, before suddenly she busted out laughing. "Right, because I'm going to just come back to that hellhole called Konoha. Two people I loved died there, you think I'm going back?"

"What are you?" Naruto was so lost. He'd never seen people he'd never met in his dreams, especially ones with such a negative attitude about Konoha.

"Let's make a bet."

Naruto blinked in confusion at he heard his own voice behind the woman. Peeking around her, he saw that there was another 'Naruto' behind her. His eyes were drawn to his left arm, which had a gash dragged across scabbed, healing flesh.

"…I'm listening."

Beep…beep…

"How's the gaki doing?" A new voice. One Naruto had heard once before.

"J-Jiraiya-sama! What are –"

"I'm checking up on him. How's he doing?"

"We managed to stabilize him, and he should be up and running again by tomorrow. He's a tough little guy."  
"I'm kinda surprised that he's not good to go already."

"Why?"  
"No reason…no reason at all."

Beep…beep…

**:: Paging the baka, come in baka::**

"Wha?"

**:: Oh good, you're awake. Get your butt in here::**

"Han'ishiki?"

**:: We need to talk baka. Now get in here so Kushina and I can get some answers::**

* * *

AN: And scene. The last part was…annoying. But it had its purpose. What that is…you'll see!

More people talking! Somehow, this was so much easier than the fighting was. Go figure. I must be one of those 'drama not action' writers.

So now you know why my Muse is evil…along with me. We both planned Konohamaru's kidnapping from the very beginning of the Chunin Exam arc. And no, they aren't gonna rescue him in time for him to not come into Orochi the Stupidhead's clutches. So now you all get to witness something never before seen in fandom; Konohamaru taken by Orochimaru! Oh the possibilities…and on the off chance that someone has already tried this particular plot twist, let me know so I can read that story. Otherwise, please prepare the medics for the people who will _kill me_ for doing this, because I _know_ there are people who won't like this. And for those particular people, who may stop reading because they don't like this twist…

I REGRET NOTHING!

That is all; you may proceed with the bludgeoning.

And now you see that Tadao's plan was not at all as thought out as he thought it was. Then again, no plan survives contact with the enemy. I also gave hints as to what 'special ability' he has. Play the guessing game to try and figure out what it could possibly be!

The Sasuke and Anko scene…was all my Muse. She wanted to begin the 'Anko Explanation' early, to get to the good stuff sooner. She's smart like that. (She also just alluded to the stuff, so you'll get a more 'in depth' version later)

Next time on Word of Honor; _Revelations._ Naruto learns a few extra pieces of his bloodline, and Sasuke gets a few extra pieces of info he'll want to hold onto.


	27. Revelations

Some people asked about Tsunade being in Naruto's dream, so I'm gonna go ahead and ask this quick question in response; have you guys read Chewie Cookies profile and the challenge this story is derived from? There's a part that was actually added to the challenge because I asked if it would be okay for this particular plot twist!

Go and read the challenge. First person to figure out which part I'm using will get a shout-out in chapter 30. Chewie doesn't count since I'm already giving multiple shout outs, and we discussed this already. That is all. Enjoy the story

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Word of Honor**

_Chapter 27: Revelations_

"Oh good, you're here." Kushina said, looking at Naruto as he entered his mindscape. "Alright, now we can get some answers to all the insanity going on in here."

Naruto looked between Kushina and Han'ishiki apprehensively. They'd called him into his mindscape multiple times before, but those were more along the lines of 'we're gonna teach you to be awesome' sort of visits. Now, there was a weight in the air that he couldn't place his finger on that was making him nervous.

"**First things first though."** Han'ishiki said, walking up to Naruto. Staring him in the eye for a moment, he suddenly wrapped him up in a giant bear hug and lifted him off the ground. **"Congratulations on figuring out your codeword baka."**

"Eh?" Naruto asked intelligently. Remembering what he'd been told vaguely during his visits, he brightened in realization. "Is that what happened to me during my fight?"

"**Of course it was. I'll forgive you for not figuring it out when you activated it, since it was your first time feeling such a rush of power."** Han'ishiki said, dropping Naruto onto his butt. As Naruto cursed him under his breath, Han'ishiki loomed over him. "**Now, first rule we're imposing on your codeword; you are forbidden from using it unless you absolutely have to."**

"What?" Naruto yelled as his eyes bugged out in confusion. "But, when I was using that I tore Gaara apart! Why can't I just use it again against other enemies?"

Kushina groaned at Naruto's unintelligent response to hearing he wasn't allowed to use it. "Naruto, you need to know what your bloodline does when your codeword is activated before you say stuff like that."

Naruto glanced at her suspiciously. "What do you mean? I thought my bloodline was that I make promises, and I had to keep them. You mean there's _more?_"

"Yes, of course there's more!" Kushina yelled, smacking Naruto on the head.

"**Please don't hit him on the head. He's lacking brain cells as it is."**

Kushina glared at Han'ishiki. "Laugh it up later; this is supposed to be serious!"

"**And if we treat it as serious and forget who we're talking too we'll just end up confusing him more."** Han'ishiki replied, returning Kushina's glare full forced. **"If he isn't told using little words, he'll just end up using it whenever he thinks he's in a pinch, instead of using some other option he might have."**

Kushina pinched the bridge of her nose, wondering how it was that Naruto had grown up into someone so difficult to teach and explain stuff to. "Fine. Where do we begin then?"

Han'ishiki rubbed his chin thoughtfully. **"Hm, I've got a good idea where to start."** Waving his hand to a group of chairs set around a table that had _not_ been there before, he walked over. **"Take a seat, and I'll explain."**

Naruto followed quickly, sliding into a chair with a look of trepidation. Kushina was not quite as quick to follow, but eventually slid into the chair next to Han'ishiki.

"**Alright, as you already know, your bloodline works regarding your promises. What you might not have known was that the example Kushina brought up several times as a reference to what your abilities could do was actually something that your bloodline pushes you to your body's limits every time it is fully unlocked."**

"Uh…which example?" Naruto asked, trying to remember what Kushina had told him while he'd been in the Forest of Death.

"Remember when I told you about the Kaimon Naruto?" Kushina said, pleased to see the look of recognition. "Oh good, you do remember. Do you remember what it does?"  
"Yeah, it completely unlocks a person's physical strength. You said my bloodline would make it easier because we take more damage then a normal shinobi. When I repeat my promise, I get a boost that's _like_ opening the gate." Naruto said, smiling as he saw the pleased look on Kushina's face.

"Yes, that's right."

"**It's like dumbing down the actual opening of the gate."** Han'ishiki mentioned helpfully.

"That…actually a good way of describing it." Kushina said, rather reluctantly. "And since that's just the weaker version, you only get so much strength for so long, just like opening the actual gate."

"Okay."

"**When you activate the full power of your bloodline, you go all the way in all ways of power."**

Naruto blinked, scrunching up his face in confusion. "Wait, full power? All the way? What's that mean?"

Kushina and Han'ishiki shared a look for a moment, the only sign of anything going between them was a slight nod by Han'ishiki. Kushina bit her lip as she turned back to Naruto. "It means that when you push yourself to the limit when your bloodline is activated, your body will do whatever it takes to compensate for the lack of strength."

Naruto narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Why does that sound like a bad thing?"

"Because it _is_ a bad thing. Your body has limits for a reason. To make sure you don't kill yourself by overstraining yourself to the point you die."

Naruto already knew a bit about this, having been told something similar during Lee's fight against Gaara. After seeing how Lee had looked after opening one, then _five_ gates, he was in awe of how powerful it had made Lee while also giving him a healthy respect for the 'genius of hard work'. However, the 'you could die' part was not what he was expecting to hear.

"**When you were fighting Gaara, you weren't quite strong enough, or fast enough to take him on without a boost of some sort."** Han'ishiki said, getting Naruto back on him. **"You were weak, and tired, so your bloodline did what was needed to make you strong enough to fight. And the best way to do that was to open a few of your gates for a little boost."**

"…how many is a few?" Naruto asked.

"**Two. The Kaimon, or 'Gate of Opening', pushed your body to the hundred percent strength-wise. That's how you threw Gaara around so easily. The ****Kyuumon****, also called the 'Gate of Healing', was the second gate your body open to push your strength further and reenergize you. Had the fight continued, it would have gone further and kept opening gates until you fulfilled your promise. Since you only have eight gates, and opening the eight gate kills you anyway…you would have gone down swinging even if all that power wasn't needed to keep whatever promise you made."**

Naruto's eyes widened. "Oh…so that's why it's a bad thing."

"Yeah, that's a very bad thing." Kushina said, nodding gravely. "Like I told you before an Uzumaki is very resilient, but even an Uzumaki will be hurt when they open the gates. You're not invincible."

"**Close though."**

Naruto snapped his head to Han'ishiki. "Say what?"

The corners his mouth twitched upwards. **"Normally, those gates would just open like we said, and that would be the end of it. But since your body is reacting based on what you need, it'll actually shift whatever it need to in accordance to the situation. Like, say you're fighting Gaara and you were injured. What do you think it might do to help with that?"**

"Uh…" Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I dunno."

"**It would turn of your pain receptors, so you wouldn't be distracted by whatever was hurt. You become numb when you're scraping the surface of your bloodline, but when that happens you're becoming completely numb. Numb to anything and everything. When it's fully unlocked, it's just the pain that's numbed. Or, if your being attacked from an attack that would break a normal person, your muscles could be pulled so tight that you become an unbreakable object. Make sense?"**

Naruto continued scratching his head in confusion. "But, don't most people with bloodlines need to train in order to master their bloodline like that? I mean, it sounds like my bloodline is kinda cheating."

"When you put it that way, it is." Kushina giggled. "But it's not quite that simple. I mean after all, you do have two of you in your head."

Naruto snapped his head to Han'ishiki. "Wait, so _you_ have to train for me to get better at using my bloodline?" Seeing him nod, Naruto brought his head down sharply onto the table. "That totally sucks! I can't do anything to get better at using my bloodline?"

"**Don't worry, there is a way you can get better at using your bloodline."** Han'ishiki said calmly. **"You need to fight with me."**

"Eh? You mean like fighting for who is in charge of the bloodline?" Naruto asked. If he had to fight for control over himself, he'd do it. It was the best way he knew how to go about things.

Han'ishiki however just rolled his eyes. **"Not like that baka. More like casual sparring. We need to fight every once in a while to make sure we know each other and ourselves so well that we work like two teammates would. Not alternating control, but working together. I'm you subconscious, I don't **_**want**_** to have to deal with all the stuff you go through making the **_**conscious**_ **decisions. I just want to do whatever you want, and help from the back of your mind like I've been doing this whole time."**

Naruto's eyes widened, practically shining in glee. "So all that stuff I've been learning about teamwork will help me out with my bloodline? I can use it all the time now?"

By this point, Kushina was full out laughing. Naruto just looked so cute when the little light bulb in his head snapped on and he showed that he understood what was going on. Of course, considering the way he interpreted his lessons in a very literal sense, even without his bloodline he would've probably been good at teamwork regardless.

The Uzumaki were a clan that prided two things; intelligence and teamwork. Fūinjutsu (Sealing Techniques) was a specialty of the Uzumaki clan, their intelligence and 'secondary intelligence' greatly helped them do that. To the point they became so feared for their Fūinjutsu they were actually wiped out by their enemies.

Teamwork however, was something you'd have to look harder to see. Well, unless the opponent was fighting against a group of Fūinjutsu specialists; in which case they were quite royally screwed. Even an S-ranked shinobi would have thought twice before facing a team of Fūinjutsu specialists.

Which was why Kushina was currently laughing. She knew very little about Naruto except for the last month, but from what she'd seen, Naruto was very intelligent…in his own creative fueled way. And since she had a similar mind to him, she practically _knew_ the ways he'd think of utilizing that teamwork; out in the field and in his head.

"I knew that teamwork stuff was awesome!" Naruto shouted, pumping his fist into the air. A second later though, he face fell into a scowl of frustration. "I wish I could make my never ending line of clones again, with me and Han'ishiki working together, we'd be unstoppable!"

"What do you mean?" Kushina asked.

"Well, ever since the Forest of Death, I haven't been able to make nearly as many clones as I use to be able to make." Naruto grumbled. "If it weren't for that stupid snake and his dang weird poking trick, screwed up my control."

"**You're an idiot."**

Naruto's eyebrow twitched. "Why do you always say that? Just tell me what I missed already!"

The strange laughing noise Han'ishiki suddenly made set Naruto on edge as he slowly stood up. **"As much as I hate doing this…I'm going to enjoy this."**

He placed his hand on Naruto's head and began to push the knowledge in.

**-xxxxx-**

"Alright, all done!"

"Thanks. Now can I get my shirt back please?"

The nurse rolled her eyes as she picked up his shirt and threw it in Sasuke's face. Sasuke scowled as he gripped his shirt tightly, quickly yanking it on as the nurse wrote a few last notes on his file. For some reason, he had a feeling that if she told his fan girls they would try to skin the woman alive.

"Alright, that should do it." The nurse said, setting the file down and picking up a second one he hadn't noticed before. "Alright Mitarashi-san, your turn!"

It was somewhat comical to see Anko's head pop out from under the bed with a bewildered expression on her face. "How'd you know I was here?"

"I heard you talking to Uchiha-san before I came in." The nurse replied, a small smile on her face. "Plus, you've always been more restless than usual. Every time I told Sasuke I'd need another test you groaned."

'_So that's what that sound was.'_ Sasuke thought with a small smirk.

Anko on the other hand, was pouting. "But you were taking so long! I thought you were never gonna be done."

"Chakra exhaustion is no joke Mitarashi-san. It can be taken care of without medical treatment, but the time it could take is extended dramatically. Plus chakra burns –"

"Blah, blah, blah, medical gibberish I don't understand. Let's get this over with." Anko said, hopping up onto the bed. "Just remember, no needles. I don't need a shot."

"You don't know that Mitarashi-san. Now, I need you to…uh." She turned to Sasuke, just then remembering that he was in the room. "Uchiha-san, you can leave now."  
"Okay then, I'll just –"

"No!"

Sasuke and the nurse turned in surprise as Anko stared at Sasuke in fear. She curled in on herself, chewing on her lip nervously. "Stay. Please."

Sasuke flinched. He remembered what Anko had said earlier, how she'd looked like she'd been in obvious pain as she recounted her experience. Although, it was rather difficult to believe most of what Anko had said after her dynamic entrance.

"YOUTH!" The voice of an eccentric green spandex wearing jonin echoed throughout the village.

All three of them sweat dropped as Sasuke quickly closed the window a loud snap. "Uh…okay, that was weird." Sasuke muttered, turning back to the two women. Rolling his eyes, he waved his hand flippantly. "I'll stay here, just put the screen up."

The nurse narrowed her eyes, gripping the screen tightly. "No peaking!"

"Never crossed my mind."

"Yeah it did, he's just to shy to admit it." Anko said loudly.

Sasuke flushed, growling at the screen. As the shadows began moving though, he quickly whirled around, his face now an unusually bright red for him. He was so not ready to be exposed to any of that.

"Alright Mitarashi-san, let's see what I'll be working with." The nurse said, a light shuffling coming from behind the curtain. "Mitarashi-san, what the hell did you do to your back?"

"Eh? Why, what's going on?" Anko asked, sounding rather concerned. Sasuke frowned, wondering what was wrong.

"You have chakra burns all across your back. How…what kind of enemy were you and Uchiha-san fighting that you'd get burns like this over your backs?"

Sasuke rested his chin in his palm, trying to piece together what he was hearing and what had happened. From what he remembered, the Oto shinobi had done nothing remotely flame-like or flame related whatsoever. He himself _had_ thrown around a couple fire techniques, but none of those techniques had hit him. Anko was in the crossfire once, but he hadn't hit her with any of them. Which meant there was…

'_Wait, chakra burns? Chakra flames only leave normal burns, not chakra burns.'_ Sasuke thought, almost glancing over his shoulder to stare in confusion. He stopped himself though, as he thought about what else could possibly have caused the chakra burns. Slowly, his hand crept up to his shoulder. _'Chakra burns on my left side…both of us have them…maybe…'_

"Oh, I just got blindsided by a fire attack and Sasuke-chan pulled me out. He's such a weird kid." Anko said as she made an attempt to deflect suspicion.

"A fire attack? Fire attacks don't leave chakra burns." The nurse said, her suspicion sounding like it was only raised further, rather than dissipated.

"It wasn't normal fire." Sasuke sat up straight, confused for a brief second before he realized that he himself had been the one who'd spoken. Figuring that both Anko and the nurse were listening to him now, he continued. "It was too…contained. I think it was more of a fire-like chakra technique."

There was a moment of silence where Sasuke held his breath, hoping she bought it. Then, after an almost painful moment, the nurse finally muttered. "Sounds pretty advanced."

Anko, apparently catching onto Sasuke's train of thought, picked up where he left off with a more experienced opinion. "He was one of Orochimaru's more advanced soldiers. He probably gave the guy an incomplete makeover with some obscure bloodline, or one he made up on the spot and decided to try. I remember him trying to make a bloodline where his experiments were supposed to be able to disappear by becoming a moving cloud of wind. It…didn't go so well."

Sasuke winced, imagining someone trying that. It would be useful for any country to have, as having someone who could become air to walk by and get information would be useful. But in practice, it sounded infinitely more difficult to perform.

The fire-like chakra technique on the other hand sounded more up his alley. If he could figure out how to pull it off, he'd have a technique that might actually make him into more than just a nuisance in his brother's eyes.

"Oh, I see." The nurse muttered, apparently buying the story. After a moment of silence, she sighed. "Okay, you can put your gown back on. Uchiha-san, its okay to look now."

"Thank you. Now if you're done with your back fetish, my leg would really like it if you could kiss it better. If you're not into that, Sasuke-chan can do it for you."

Sasuke twisted around, glaring at the snake mistress as she gave him a coy smile before lifting her leg out to the nurse. Admittedly, she did have nice legs once her shin guards were off. Toned, yet not in an unflattering way. And unlike other kunochi, she didn't wear those completely ridiculous high-heeled sandals some kunochi wore. It might've helped if the girl had some hidden blade in their heel, but those were to easy to dull due to constant walking. Sasuke felt his eyebrow twitching, realizing a moment too late that he was staring.

"Oh? So Sasuke-chan _is_ interested in girls." Anko said, slowly running her hand along her leg. "He's just not interested in whatever interests normal boys."

"I'm leaving." Sasuke said, making is way to the door. As he put his hand on the handle, a kunai sunk itself into the door frame right in front of him. It wasn't quite unexpected to Sasuke considering her ever changing attitude, but the small amount of blood that was now coming from the cut on the right side of his cheek was. Turning back to Anko, he gave her an emotionless stare. "Yes?"

"Stay." Anko said, trying to look as authoritive as possible. It was hard to pull off, considering she was in a hospital gown, but she made a good effort. "Remember…please."

For the 'crazy snake lady' –as dubbed by Naruto– he remembered from the beginning of the second part of the Chunin Exams, she was saying 'please' a lot. And considering she was talking to Sasuke, a boy with absolutely no interests in any girl he'd ever met, she might as well have been pleading with –

"Okay."

…an iceberg.

Anko smiled, in an oddly not so creepy way. "Thanks." Turning back to the nurse, her usual, extremely creepy smile returned. "Alright, let's get this over with."

Sasuke stared at Anko, trying to figure out what had just happened. One second, he'd been ready to just say no, then…he stopped himself. He had no reason for his answer, but obviously he should figure out why.

"Mitarashi-san? Your leg please."

Anko grinned, quickly placing her leg into the nurses waiting hands. Sasuke immediately noticed what she did and sighed. "Anko-san, your _injured_ leg."

Anko stuck out her tongue at Sasuke. "You're no fun Sasuke-chan."

The nurse was amazingly patient, holding out long enough for Anko to give her the leg she'd injured before getting to work. As she performed the standard diagnostic jutsu, a frown gradually spread across her face. "Mitarashi-san, did you happen to take any altered soldier pills recently?"

"Uh, not since the last time I got one." Anko said, staring off into space. "I got all loopy, and had…well, I can't remember what happened really. Good times."

"Altered?" Sasuke asked, perking up at this new information. "I thought there was only one form of soldier pill. I mean, the pill on its own gives a person three days worth of energy, why would someone make an altered version?"

"Aw, Sasuke-chan is so cute when he's confused." Anko giggled, getting a glare from Sasuke. "Not everything works the way the label says it will Sasuke-chan. Sometimes, some people get addicted to whatever's in the pill and they take more then they need. Eventually, the effects aren't as effective, and they go crazy from the lack of whatever's in the pill. Or, a shinobi can get addicted to your normal, everyday addictive substance that somehow interferes with the effects of the pill. And honestly, we aren't going to stop a person from enjoying their daily dose, since everyone needs a way to clear their heads after all we big kid shinobi have to do. In that case, you need a soldier pill that can not only give them energy, but quickly detox them enough to get back on their feet so they can go out and kick some ass."

"Let me guess." Sasuke cut her off, having an idea where it was going. "The detox pill is worse then whatever they're trying to detox?"  
"Close. Cookie for the bird head." Anko grinned impishly. "It's not quite like that but close. You see, for the few we've got, the detox pill _is_ worse then the…whatever. Thing is, we don't have a detox pill for everything yet, so we have a lot of people in R and D testing and failing in their experiments trying to keep shinobi alive."

Sasuke nodded. "So, you took one of those pills once?"

"A completed one. It was _supposed_ to cure my hangover. I wasn't expecting to get all loopy like I did." Anko shrugged. "I made sure a…formal complaint got to the maker of the stupid thing."

Sasuke felt a chill run down his spine, quietly deciding to leave whatever happened to the poor guy alone. He had nightmares already, no need to add more fuel to the fire.

The nurse, sensing the lull in conversation, pressed on. "Yeah, but the pills never gave you chakra poisoning."

"Chakra – are you serious?" Anko asked, gawking at the nurse in shock.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. It might've just been because he hadn't been using it as long, but he hadn't had the problem of chakra poisoning during his examination. Which meant that, had he been using it for longer, he might've had all the same symptoms Anko was showing. All of which their opponent had shown none of.

'_Then again, he had a _second_ form. That means…there's probably some secret behind it that keeps the seals from hurting us like this.'_ The gears in his head turned, as he slowly began working over what he'd just learned. Now all he needed were the final pieces of information he didn't have, and he'd be good.

First, he'd take the power of his seal. Then, he would gather the strength he would need to kill his brother.

**-xxxxx-**

"I hate you."

"**Bah, you needed a bit more pain. Besides, you'll live."**

Finally freed from reminiscing on the ever painful experience of having information he'd forgotten forcibly shoved back into his conscious mind, Naruto began to slowly shift thought what Han'ishiki had tried to show him. After several moments, he felt the urge to slap him. "You made me remember my Academy lessons? I thought I forgot all those! I mean, they were boring the _first_ time around! Why would I want to remember them now?"

"Just…trust Han'ishiki." Kushina said, glancing at Han'ishiki out of the corner of her eye. "What specifically did he show to you?"

Naruto twitched, obviously aggravated by the need to sift through Academy lessons after having already left the Academy. Grunting in compliance, he closed his eyes and looked over what Han'ishiki had pushed into his head again. After a couple of minutes, his eyes snapped open. "Hey, the lecture on pressure points Kakashi-sensei gave our team is in here. I …I can't believe I forgot about that lecture."

"Pressure points?" Kushina asked, raising an eyebrow. How was that going to help?

"Yeah, he told us that people could be made to go into 'false death' trances or something like that. It's what Haku used on Zabuza. But what…" Naruto spaced off as he remembered something. "Haku…Haku didn't hit us in the chest."

"**Or the stomach!"** Han'ishiki added.

"Yeah, there either. I mean, in a fight they'd probably be hard to hit, right? 'Cause of all the jumping, and dodging, they couldn't possibly hit someone like that." Naruto nodded to himself, convinced he was right.

"Okay, what does that have to do with what we're talking about?"

"Well…uh…" Naruto scratched his head, turning to Han'ishiki again. "What does it have to do with what we're talking about?"

"**You thought the snake guy hit pressure points to mess up your chakra. I was just showing you what you 'forgot' about pressure points so you could figure it out on you own."**

Naruto cocked his head to the side, another memory swimming to the forefront of his mind. "Then what's with the fight with the snake guy doing here?"

Han'ishiki grinned. **"What did he say before throwing you away?"**

"Uh, he recognized me as the Kyuubi's container, something about he Kyuubi's chakra being interesting…oh." Naruto's eyes widened as he remembered the last thing that he consciously heard the snake man say. "He hit me with some sort of sealing technique!"

"**And he finally gets it. Please, give him a round of applause."**

Naruto gave him a one-finger salute before turning to Kushina. "Do you think we can get it off in here?"

Kushina shook her head. "No way. This is your mindscape, not your seal."

Naruto glanced at Han'ishiki, who face palmed. **"Oh Kami-sama. You – really? You really thought that your mindscape was also the lair of the Kyuubi? Do you think the Yondaime was a mad man? Scratch that, are you insane?"**

"No, but…why wouldn't it be here?" Naruto asked ever so innocently.

Kushina rubbed her forehead to push back the building headache. Somehow they were becoming quite common with Naruto. Taking a deep breath, she reached up and pulled down a chart from… hammer space. The chart had a picture of Naruto with four pictures. Three arrows were pointing to his head with a picture next to each arrow; himself, Han'ishiki, and Kushina's pictures to be precise. The last arrow was pointing to his stomach, with a picture of…a red bunny? Ignoring that, he focused on where Kushina was pointing. He took a moment to pause in thought as he realized that Kushina had somehow changed into a 'scholars outfit' at some point when he hadn't been paying attention. Weird.

"Here in your head, is where we are." Kushina said, pointing to his head. "Here is where your mind has built up a haven of sorts for your thoughts, memories, and experiences. This is where we've been this whole time." Sliding her pointer down, it landed on Naruto's stomach. "Here is where your seal is. Your seal is located on your stomach, where the largest cluster of chakra points in your chakra coils are. Since its where most of your points are, most of your chakra gathers there, and makes it easier to contain the Kyuubi there. So you'd have to travel from here to here to make contact with the Kyuubi."

Naruto looked from his head to his stomach, then to his own stomach. Poking it tentatively, he sighed in frustration. "Great, now I have to figure out how to get into my stomach. Should be easy." Closing his eyes, he slowly started chanting. "Ramen, the greatest food ever, Kami's greatest delight, the most delectable food ever, the –"  
**"You know, you could just take the stairs."**

Naruto popped his eyes open, noticing Kushina's confused expression along with his own. "Stairs?"

"You mean there's a way to get to the Kyuubi from here and you never told me?" Kushina said, here eye twitching violently as she barely restrained herself from strangling him.

Han'ishiki shrugged. **"You never asked."**

"Can you lead us too it?" Naruto asked.

"**Um…later Naruto. Besides, we've got a much bigger problem we need to figure out first."**

Raising an eyebrow in confusion, Naruto glanced at Kushina. Kushina's eyes widened in recognition of whatever it was nodded vigorously, apparently agreeing that there was something more important to discuss. "Uh…did I miss something?"

"Yeah. Just one last thing we need to discuss." Kushina said, looking towards the far side of the room.

Naruto followed her gaze, vaguely remembering the way to where his promises were kept. "What's over there? Is there something new?"

"**You could say that."** Han'ishiki muttered, remembering what had happened the day before.

Naruto glanced between the two of them slowly. As he did so, he realized something was off. Looking around the room, it looked the exact same as it had before, nothing had been moved except the addition of the chairs and table. Besides that though, there was something missing. Or rather, some_one_ was missing.

"Where's Hinata? Why isn't she here with us?" Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder and followed it to a concerned looking Kushina. "What?"

"Naruto…you need to see this."

A pound of lead in his gut wouldn't have dropped his stomach more than it did with that statement. "Why, what's wrong?"

"**Naruto, it's time you see the strangest thing any Uzumaki has ever had in their head."**

Naruto felt a lump in his throat, one that was rather difficult to swallow. He had a feeling that whatever was coming, it had something to do with the weird dream he'd been having before he'd come into his mindscape. And considering how that had looked…

Kushina gently gripped his hand in her own, trying to smile despite the fact she knew they were potentially going to break him with this. "Come on, let's go see Hinata."

* * *

AN: Gah, so much talking and explaining!

As you might be able to tell, this was another 'explain the bloodline' chapter. Oddly enough, it also helped develop more of the cursed seal stuff too. Odd that.

Quick thing to note; this is not actually overpowering Naruto. Reason? Well think about it. With great power comes great responsibility and whatnot, especially when you have to keep all your promises. So, if he goes all out, and a little minor promise is brought up that contradicts Naruto's 'I vow to win' promise, imagine the pain. He'd be trying to fulfill both promises with his bloodline saying 'he's not able to keep his promise with his current power, let's add some more'. It would start getting pretty messy after a while...and I feel the urge to write that scene out later. Huh, I'll have to remember that. (evil cackle)

Sasuke is still focused on his brother. Why? Because it's his obsession, and the curse seal is a means to an end that's also drugging him up. I'm gonna help him get over that…that's actually coming up later. Keep an eye out for that.

Admittedly, I was watching a movie called The One while I wrote the interaction between Naruto and Han'ishiki, and that helped finalize the idea of 'we'll fight so we can better work together' thing. I wanted 'teamwork' to somehow fit into the bloodline, since it would be a new twist to add into it. The movie just gave me a thought about how to go about it, and thus, that scene was born. Besides, everyone's all about 'defeat this and take its strength' and whatnot, especially when its inside the person or related to the person. Why not do something like this?

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna kill my Muse for the cliffhanger. I'm getting sick of all the cliffhangers, and I'm pretty sure you are too. (pulls out baseball bat) Oh Muse~

Next time on Word of Honor; _Unexpected Twists_. Just when I couldn't get more annoying, I go and pull some more stuff that'll make your heads spin. Joy.


	28. Unexpected Twists

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

* * *

**Word of Honor**

_Chapter 28: Unexpected Twists_

"Please forgive me sensei; I'm so sorry for what I've done!"

Kakashi scratched his mask in confusion. He'd just gotten back from helping hunt down the remainder of the Suna and Oto forces, and despite the desire for a shower and sleep, he'd been found by his student. Of all the things for him to hear though, this was not what he was expecting. "Mah, I'm not sure I understand Sakura."

Sakura peaked up at her sensei from beneath her bangs. She'd removed her headband/hiate the night before and had forgotten to replace it before she'd left to see Kakashi. It didn't really help keep her vision from being obscured at all that she was partially bowing to Kakashi.

Flinching at the casual tone, she straightened herself as she attempted to look Kakashi in the eye as she spoke. To her dismay, her eyes fell before she even started speaking. She pursed her lips together, wishing she had the courage to stand up and say what she was thinking to her sensei.

Kakashi watched her bout of inner turmoil patiently. While he had an idea of what was going through her head, he couldn't read her mind, and as such needed her to tell him what she was thinking. "Does this have anything to do with what happened at the stadium?" Seeing Sakura flinch, he sighed. "I thought as much. What's on your mind?"

"I-I…I'm so sorry." Sakura muttered again. This time though, she explained. "I thought…I thought I was a competent shinobi. I was able to hold my own against Ino and…and I _was_ training over the past month. But when the stadium got attacked I – I just…"

"Ah, so that's what happened." Kakashi had seen people end up similarly to Sakura before; faced with a mission or objective that was beyond them. Without a bit of help, they'd mostly ended up breaking down and retiring to reserve duty. If he didn't do what he could, due to her fragility, she'd end up falling down the first path. "It's alright, I understand."

Sakura's eyes began to water when he said this, making him think he'd done something wrong. Before he could amend his statement though, Sakura gripped onto his vest and began sobbing into his hysterically. Completely out of his comfort zone, he patted her head awkwardly.

"I-I couldn't do anything! People around me were dying, and I just sat there and watched!" Sakura sobbed. "I-I'm a shinobi of Konoha…and I'm too weak to do anything!"

For someone like Sakura, the fight in the stadium had been the final wake-up call she'd needed. She'd seen the people in Nami no Kuni suffering, people being hurt in the Forest of Death, and the sadistic nature of some shinobi. But before then, death had been something that she had somehow managed to remain blissfully unaware of. The invasion was able to strip that unawareness and rend it asunder within the first few moments of its occurrence. Finally, her eyes were opened to her weakness.

Which lead to the other reason why she'd come to Kakashi.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura said tentatively, still gripping his vest tightly. "Is…is that offer of training still open? You know, the one you offered at the beginning of the month?"

Kakashi raised his hidden eyebrow at this question. While he'd expected something along these lines, he also knew that if she asked he'd be between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, she _needed_ what he had to teach her if she wanted to survive as a shinobi. On the other hand, the village needed as many people as were available to hunt down the remainder of their enemy's forces. It was a very difficult decision for any jonin to make.

Never let it be said that Kakashi chose the easier path.

"Yes, I'm still willing to train you." Sakura took a step back, apparently startled by how easily he'd accepted her request. Before she could say anything, he continued. "It'll be hard, rigorous training. If you follow what I'm going to teach you, I'll honestly be surprised if you have the strength to crawl home. I won't want any back talk, any complaining, or questioning my methods. Are we clear?"

Sakura straightened, looking back at Kakashi with a newly ignited flame. "Yes Kakashi-sensei!"

"Good." Kakashi said as he nodded to himself. Sensing a few of his 'old friends' from Anbu approaching, he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Now then, let's get started."

With a swirl of leaves and a quickly utilized Shunshin (Body Flicker) Kakashi and Sakura made their way to a training ground. A moment later, the team of Anbu assigned to hunt down Konohamaru landed in the area, looking around in confusion for Kakashi. Figuring he'd been given some other important assignment, they left to quickly pursue the kidnapped Konohamaru.

**-xxxxx-**

Naruto and the dynamic duo made good time as they walked through the halls. Naruto still felt twitchy after the vague and troubling words Han'ishiki and Kushina had left with him moments before.

'_What's wrong with Hinata? What is the 'strangest thing in an Uzumaki's head'? Does it have something to do with Hinata?'_ he gripped his head in pain. _'Too much thinking!'_

"Okay, we're here." Kushina said, trying to give Naruto the best smile she could.

Naruto stepped around the two of them, entering the room where they'd stopped in front of without bothering to say anything else. Something was wrong with Hinata, and he was tired of people beating around the bush.

As he stepped into the room though, he stumbled in shock. The room was unlike any room he'd seen before, especially in his mind. The main reason behind this was because it was far more…cluttered. The room looked like it'd been arranged to make the room look as spacious as possible despite the fact that there was a surprisingly large amount of items strewn about said room. Most of the items that Naruto could see were scrolls, flowers, and other assorted items Naruto usually associated with girls.

His eyes swept the room, taking in every detail without actually seeing anything. He wasn't looking at any of the miscellaneous items; he was looking for Hinata. The other things could wait.

Then, he saw her. Oddly, it should've been the first place to look seeing as the bed was one of the few things clear of any clutter. She lay in her bed, looking rather undisturbed by his aggressive intrusion. Gathering what remained of his impulsive bravado, Naruto moved to the side of Hinata's bed.

"**Now, pull back her covers."**

Naruto turned to Han'ishiki in confusion. "Why?"

"**Because, I wanna see if she's undressed."** Han'ishiki said sarcastically, rolling his eyes as Naruto's eyebrow began twitching. **"Because you idiot, we put her here after we found her in the Hokage's office, where your blood oaths are at. What we saw…well, take a look for yourself."**

Naruto bit his lip, turning to Hinata again. Taking a small, steadying breath, he quickly pulled back the covers. A second later, he was on his knees trying not to puke from what he saw.

While she appeared normal for the most part, as soon as the covers were drawn back it was revealed that something was very wrong. Most of the left side of her chest was missing, revealing her slowly beating heart to the world. While Naruto had seen some strange things, he'd never gotten an anatomy lesson quite like this before.

"What-what the hell?" Naruto muttered, picking himself up as he tried to look at her again. It wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. "Why does Hinata look like this? What...what happened?"

"**I wish I could say something witty about this, but being just as out of the loop on this as you are, I can't."** Han'ishiki said, staring at Hinata with a pained expression. Naruto had been lucky. When Han'ishiki had found Hinata in Naruto's mind, he _had_ puked his guts out before running off to get Kushina.

"It's probably better that way." Kushina muttered. While his intentions were good, sometimes she felt he had horrible timing, and simply made a situation worse.

"**Yeah, it probably is."** Han'ishiki walked to the other side of Hinata's bed, looking at her with a crestfallen expression. **"I wish I knew what was going on."**

Naruto glanced at Kushina, chewing on his lip in frustration. Then, as his mind kick-started itself, a thought crossed his mind. "Wait, how do you guys not know what's going on? Isn't this the sort of stuff you're supposed to teach me about later?"

"Well yes, but…" Kushina rubbed her left arm as she felt her cheeks flush. "I…I never got all of the information on our bloodline."  
"Say what?" Naruto and Han'ishiki both shouted.

Kushina sighed. "Look, my Sandaime senzo (First ancestor) was my father, and didn't have a lot of techniques he could teach me since I'm a girl. So, instead of getting all of the information on his techniques, I got the basics and moved on to the next in line so I could utilize my bloodline techniques properly."

Han'ishiki was, surprisingly, the first to speak up. **"So, what about the technique you taught Naruto for the Chunin Exams?"**

"It was the only one I could use." Kushina admitted, gripping her arm tighter. "I know most of the others, but I never got any practice with them since I got impatient."

"**Great, just great."** Han'ishiki muttered as he rubbed the sides of his head in pain. **"So now we're stuck not knowing why this is happening?"**

Kushina shook her head. "I have an idea of what's going on, but it's just a theory. I think –"

"Your father?"

Han'ishiki tensed up as he realized what Naruto was putting together. Kushina winced, realizing her mistake. "Yes."

"So…the first person that I'm supposed to see…is my parents?"

Kushina nodded. "Yes, but only the one with the Uzumaki bloodline. If both have it, it would be according to gender."

"So, since you're the first person to appear in my mind…that makes you…my kaa-san (mother)?"

"Yes, I'm your kaa-san."

Naruto looked up slowly, looking from the injured Hinata, to Han'ishiki, then to Kushina. Kushina recoiled slightly as she saw the broken look on Naruto's face. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Han'ishiki buried his face in his hands, grumbling under his breath.** "I totally knew this was going to happen, I just knew it."**

Naruto grit his teeth as he rounded on Han'ishiki. "You _knew?_ Why didn't you tell me?"

Han'ishiki looked to Kushina, who waved him on. Shrugging, he placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. **"Because your bloodline binds those of blood to you."**

That was not the answer Naruto was expecting. "What does that mean?"

"**When you grew up, you had people who helped raise you. These people were nice for the most part, but none of them were your 'kaa-san'. For an Uzumaki, their parents are practically imprinted into their memory from the moment they're born. It's what has helped keep the Uzumaki going from generation to generation. It also helped keep other countries from attempting bloodline theft as the moment the children saw a relative, they'd follow after them and rejoin the village; with all the new tricks they'd been given from the other village. This is also a bad thing.**

"**Since all Uzumaki know their parents from birth, they become more sensitive to their presence as time goes on. If one parent were to die on a mission, the child would know about it, and it would physically hurt them. Of course, that's only the case for the children who haven't activated their bloodlines.**

"**For those who've activated their bloodline, it's different. They don't feel their family members die, but they know that they really are dead once informed of it. They then feel like their chakra is being ripped out of them and a 'hole' is opened in them. The feeling passes, but it ingrains the memory of the loss into their mind much deeper than the average person allows. It can scar a person of lesser strength."**

"So? Why not tell me who she is if she's in here?" Naruto shouted. "I've never met her before now, so why would it hurt me?"

"Because regardless of how you feel about me, the moment you were told I was your kaa-san, a bond was formed." Kushina said, startling Naruto as he'd expected Han'ishiki to answer. "I wanted to tell you the moment I saw you, but Han'ishiki knows you better than I do, and stopped me."

Naruto turned back to Han'ishiki, who gave him a frighteningly blank stare. **"Don't you dare say anything otherwise. You put up a good amount of bravado, but I know what you're hiding. I **_**know**_** what was coming if Kushina told you that she was your kaa-san. You would have bombarded her with questions, locked yourself out of your mind, and only come back when you wanted to learn something new."** He leaned over Hinata, getting up into Naruto's face. **"Tell me I'm wrong."**

They stared into each others eyes, Naruto biting down on his tongue as he stared back at Han'ishiki. Had he thought it through, he would've realized that he was practically looking at himself. All he saw was a strong resolve, and desire for him to understand. Under any other circumstances, Naruto might've called him on it. Instead he averted his eyes down to Hinata.

Forcibly reminded of what he was here for, Naruto shook his head. Too much was happening too fast. He wasn't sure what to do anymore.

"Naruto." Kushina said, wanting to place her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "We just…"

Naruto shook his head. He needed to figure out one thing at a time, and he wanted to know what they _didn't_ know first. "Look, we'll figure that out later. What's going on with Hinata?"

Kushina sighed. "Like I said, it's just a theory. When Uzumaki men marry, they do so while performing a blood oath. Marriage is a very important thing to us Uzumaki, and we do will risk life and limb for those we love. And since I'm not a guy, I can only speculate what I'm about to tell you.

"Uzumaki men have shown a surprising…foresight when it comes to their wives. When I was very little, before I joined Konoha, I saw a man take off in the middle of a fight to save his wife. He…didn't make it in time, but the fact that he'd _found_ her was what I remember best."

"Why? What was special about him finding her?" Naruto asked, perking up slightly.

"She was buried in an underground tunnel that none of the other adults had seen behind them. The enemy had created the tunnels to flank us, and his wife had realized this and gone down to take them down by collapsing the tunnels. Despite this, her husband still acted like he knew where she'd gone and was able to chase after her."

Naruto frowned, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "What does that have to do with Hinata?"

"You made a blood oath with her. Since I don't know everything about what happens with a blood oath…it's possible that you formed a bond with Hinata, and now you 'know' things that other people don't know, or couldn't know otherwise."

It sounded reasonable to Naruto; it matched with what he'd been told so far. Still, there was something bugging him. "You mean like that dream I had of Hinata earlier?" When neither of them answered, Naruto suddenly realized something wasn't quite right. Glancing between the two of them, he saw that Han'ishiki was giving Kushina a look he wasn't quite sure he'd even seen anyone give another person before. Confused, he pressed on. "Uh, what's wrong?"

"**Naruto, do you know where dreams come from?"**

"Uh…no?"

"**They're you subconsciousness randomly putting things together and portraying them in a surreal manner. In this case, I'm your subconsciousness…and I haven't given you any dreams today."**

Naruto stiffened, this mind whirling at the implication. "But…then where…how…what?"

Han'ishiki popped his neck, slowly moving away from Hinata's bed. **"You were unable to connect to me because of the drugs in your system. Because I thought you were 'under' I pulled back and let you have a dreamless sleep. If you were somehow still having a dream, then there's something else."** He glanced at Naruto, smiling darkly. **"Now then, I apologize in advance, but I'm going to kill Kushina now."**

"Say what?" Naruto and Kushina asked.

A second later, Kushina dove back into the hallway as a table was thrown violently after her. Han'ishiki glared after his makeshift projectile as he ran after it. **"This is for you not informing me that you didn't get all the information!"**

"You didn't ask! How was I supposed to know that was important information?"

"**Because it was information! Now stop dodging and let me hit you!"**

Naruto tilted his head slightly to the side, watching them run away from the room. It felt really out of place considering what he'd just learned, but it was also somewhat a relief. Somewhat.

Turning back to Hinata, he knelt down next to her, slowly pulling the covers back over her. Before he completely covered her heart, he noticed that there were several dark red dots on her heart that hadn't been there before. As he watched, the dots slowly seemed to spread, like drops of water.

Or blood.

With a quick jerk he pulled the covers completely over her, hiding the strange phenomenon from his sight. Sitting back on his heels, he let his head roll back as he stared confusedly at the ceiling. He still knew nothing about the real Hinata –nothing work knowing at least– yet he was acting weird despite his lack of really knowing her.

And to think, he'd thought that Hinata was weird.

**-xxxxx-**

Pein sat peacefully in his tower, looking down at Amegakure no Sato (The Village Hidden in the Rain). It wasn't quite his yet, but with his new soldiers, it was as good as won.

On the other side of the room stood Konan, her cloak weighed heavily against herself from the rain she'd had to walk through to get there. He knew of a way to stop the rain, but it would alert Hanzo and all of the shinobi who were looking for them to where they were at. And considering _what_ he was doing, he had no desire to be found yet.

Konan said nothing, knowing that Pein knew she was there. He'd speak when he was ready, and never a moment before. He'd once said it helped him build patience in others. While she didn't want to admit it, it had helped her a bit with her own patience.

It helped her a lot to have an idea of what they were going to speak on. There had been times in the past where Pein had left her completely out of the decision, but they'd gotten better at sharing information when she'd finally gotten through to him that by letting people know a bit more about his plans. It helped that she was closer to him then anyone else in Akatsuki.

"It's time." Pein said, his voice interrupting the silence.

Konan nodded, her hands forming the hand seal for the projection jutsu. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to connect to the area where the rest of Akatsuki were meeting. When she opened her eyes, she was in the darkened cavern where they generally met, the other members showing up soon after.

"Greetings again, members of Akatsuki." Pein said, looking to each of the nine shadowy silhouettes.

"Hey, what's up Leader-sama?" One of the taller members asked. He had a wrapped sword on his back, and what appeared to be gills on either side of his face.

"I have a job for you and Itachi, Kisame." Pein replied, looking between the now named Kisame and his partner, Itachi.

Itachi shifted his gaze to Pein with a seemingly uninterested look. "What do you need Leader-sama?"

"I want you to find the two people of interest in Hi no Kuni (The Land of Fire) that I informed you of during the last meeting. I want you to find them, then report back to me. Once you've done that I will give you your instructions on how to proceed."

Kisame scoffed, shifting the wrapped sword on his back. "You mean we're not just going in to cut some legs off? Sounds boring to me."

"Don't be so sure of that Kisame." Pein interjected. Kisame raised an eyebrow in interest. "You'll receive your orders once they are found, and you will better understand once the first part of you objective is complete. Until then, you will head out."

"Understood Leader-sama." Itachi said, his monotone voice almost lost in the large space of the cavern.

Pein nodded. "The rest of you will continue to perform your other duties. Collect what you must, but remember to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to yourselves. Dismissed."

The images slowly faded one by one, leaving Pein and Konan in their tower alone again.

Without turning to face her, Pein spoke. "Do you not approve of the changes in the plan?"

Konan looked at the village across from them, contemplating her answer. "No, I don't approve of the changes. However, due to our leader's…untimely demise, we don't have much of a choice. You were only in the beginning stages of learning to use the GenryuuKyuu Fuujin (Mystical Dragon Nine Exhaustion), and as such we are now unable to use it." She bit the inside of her cheek, deciding against her better judgment to say what she was thinking. "I just don't think this plan is any better. What you're doing, the way you're building an army…people won't feel the pain you wanted them to when you spoke of –"

Pein's cut her off before she could continue, already knowing what she was going to ask. "No, it won't. But it will bring them to their knees. When the time comes, and the Za-mensensou (Seeds of War) are ordered to march, they will feel the pain. The very same pain that forced me to grow beyond man, and into the god that I am."

"And what about me?" Konan asked. This seemed to catch Pein's attention, as he finally took a moment to turn and face her. "What will happen when you run out of others to use? When what you're doing makes you decide that even I am expendable enough to be thrown to…_them?_"

Pein narrowed his eyes, the grey ripples giving him his ever piercing gaze. "Konan, I will never use you like that. You have a much higher purpose then to be like the mortals who still crawl like ants."

Konan stiffened, not knowing where this was going. "Then what am I?"

Pein stepped forwards, a ghost of a smile on his face as he let his hand gently caress her face. "You, are the messenger of god. You are an angel. And tonight, I will give you whatever your heart desires."

Konan nodded, her face impassive as she leaned in closer. Whispering in his ear, Pein tilted his head to the side in a thoughtful manner. Thinking he wouldn't agree to her request, she whispered. "Anything my heart desires?"

Pein nodded. "Anything at all."

He gripped her tightly, holding onto her as the two of them waited. A moment later, they were enveloped in a plume of smoke, summoned from another area. And with that, the tower was left empty, with no sign of anyone ever occupying it.

**-xxxxx-**

Jiraiya frowned as he leaned back in his chair. He'd spoken to his sensei's former teammates a while before, and had declined their offer to make him Hokage. It was far too much work and would give him too many wrinkles. He may be old, but his looks were the only thing he had going for him!

Still, that had been four days ago. He'd informed them of the next best decision, and had informed then that he'd be taking Naruto shortly after the funeral. The kid was close to the Hokage; he'd hate him forever if he just stole him away in the night and kept him from at least attempting to attend the funeral.

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he struggled to stay awake. He wanted to be awake so he could talk to the kid as soon as he woke up, but he was being pretty stubborn about staying asleep. Then again, considering his injuries, Jiraiya was actually somewhat surprised he'd managed to survive being transported back. According to the doctors, he'd _forcibly_ opened two of his inner gates, and ripped most of the muscles in his arms, legs, and back. Those had healed pretty quickly, but the open wounds on the back of his arms that had been sand blasted by the Ichibi's container, were not healing as fast.

That was something that was deeply disturbing him. Despite the fact he was the Kyuubi's container, and should've had access to chakra that would heal him faster, he was still healing slower. It was so backwards.

The thought made him pause, a thoughtful expression slowly crossing his face. He hadn't actually seen the seal that was on Naruto, so he had no idea if it _was_ backwards or not. He'd just assumed that his student had placed the seal on and that everything was fine. If he was wrong in that assumption, then there _was_ something wrong with Naruto's seal, and he was the only one who'd be able to check.

Leaning forwards, he scooted his chair to the side of Naruto's bed. It would've worked better if he was awake and able to mold chakra on his own, but with circumstances as they were, he'd take his chances. Pulling the covers down, he moved to pull up his shirt to expose his stomach and check the seal.

Before he could though, Naruto suddenly moaned and turned in his sleep. Caught off guard, Jiraiya yelped and fell backwards, creating a loud crash as he hit the ground.

The sudden loud noise was apparently enough to wake the dead, as Naruto bolted upright. His eyes were still somewhat half lidded from sleep, but the way his hand groped about wildly for a kunai that wasn't there said otherwise. Unarmed, and in a place he didn't recognize, Naruto forced the sleep from his eyes and turned to the source of the sound.

"I'm okay." Jiraiya mumbled, somehow buried under a pile of miscellaneous items.

"Eh?" Naruto looked around further, noticing the blandness that was a hospital room and put two and two together. Sighing, he turned to his visitor to greet him as Jiraiya lifted himself from the pile. "Sorry about that, you just surprise – ah! You're that guy that paid for my clothes!"

Jiraiya chuckled. "You never got my name, did you kid?"

Naruto shook his head, wide eyed at the fact that the guy who 'sponsored' him during the Chunin Exams had somehow found him and had stayed by him while he'd been injured. Maybe he was more awesome then he thought?

"Alright, hold on…thank you for asking!" Jiraiya said, leaping to a rather clear section of the room. Forming hand seals, he slapped his hand on the ground and summoned a toad and stood on its head, hopping on one foot before sliding his feet apart into a wide stance to help balance himself on the toads head. "Mount Myoboku-gama's holy master sennin (Sage), also known as the Gama Sennin (Toad Sage) got it? Men tremble in fear, women in awe. I am the epic, the supremely awesome," He flipped his hair, shifting into a more 'dramatic' pose. "Jiraiya!"

Naruto stared at the man, his gaze unfocused as he tried to grasp what he'd just seen. Then, after a moment of his brain rebooting, "That was so cool!"

Jiraiya chuckled. "Yeah kid, I'm so totally awesome."

"I've never seen someone summon a frog before." Naruto said, ignoring everything but the frog Jiraiya was standing on. "I didn't know frogs got this big."

Jiraiya felt his eyebrow twitch. "It's a toad. And did you not hear anything I just said kid?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I did, but the summoning thing is a lot cooler." Naruto admitted, grinning from ear to ear.

Jiraiya slapped his face, muttering under his breath. As he did so however, a little light illuminated his mind as he got an idea. "Hey kid, how would you like to learn how to summon toads for yourself?"

Naruto blinked in confusion. "Eh? You mean you can teach me how to summon toads?" His eyes narrowed quickly. While he himself was not as subtle as many others were, both he and Han'ishiki shared a good joke/prank from time to time, and Han'ishiki was far better at being subtle then he was. As such, he'd gained a healthy skepticism of free things. "What's the catch?"  
Jiraiya was somewhat grateful that Naruto had asked him; he didn't want to keep what they'd be doing completely from Naruto. The council had agreed to let him take Naruto with him, with the stipulation that he was told he couldn't tell Naruto what they'd be doing. He'd agreed, mainly because there were so many loopholes he could exploit from it.

"I want you to come with me on a little road trip when the funeral for the fallen Konoha shinobi ends. I have a job to do, and I thought I'd get better use out of you then Konoha would for now." Jiraiya picked up his chart and waved it at him. "According to this chart, you won't be allowed to physically train until you're cleared by a doctor. Chakra on the other hand, you can go nuts with."

"Funeral?" Naruto scooted to the edge of the bed. "Do you know who all died?"

"No, not all of them." Jiraiya said, looking away with a sad expression. "But my sensei died."  
Naruto flinched, realizing that he'd probably stumbled onto a sensitive subject. He did wonder who his sensei was though. He looked rather old, so whoever taught him must've been ancient. He wasn't so insensitive that he'd ask though. "I'm sorry."  
"Sarutobi-sensei was old. He did a lot of great stuff, especially after he became the Hokage."

There was a short silence as both of them processed what Jiraiya said. Jiraiya wondered if what he said was a good idea, pretty much telling Naruto who his sensei was like that. Naruto on the other hand, was slower on the uptake. "Hokage? Which one?"

Jiraiya stared at Naruto, his jaw hanging open slightly. Was Naruto implying that…no, he wasn't that blatantly stupid. Was he? Deciding that he didn't care one way or the other, and that Naruto needed to be taught to respect his elders, he patted the head of the toad he was standing on. "Would you mind knocking some sense into him for me? I got stuff I gotta do." The toad nodded, tapping its fists together in a fashion that generally meant pain. "Thanks I appreciate it."

"What? Hey, what did I say?" Naruto asked, watching as Jiraiya leapt deftly out the window. Turning back to the toad, he chuckled nervously. "Uh, nice froggy?"

The toad shook its head as it approached Naruto in a slow, menacing fashion. When the door was opened a few moments later to see what the commotion was, Naruto would freely admit that he'd never been so happy to see a doctor before then. That, and that watching said doctor leap in and hogtie the toad was one of the funniest things he'd ever seen.

* * *

AN: What? I wanted an uncliffhangery, not angst ending to this chapter. It was getting to dang depressing.

I thought I'd forgotten Sakura, but then remembered how Konohamaru was getting over the border. After all, if I stole away former Anbu member Kakashi from the tracking/reclaim squad, their chances go down ever so much. Plus, it moves Sakura forward by the little bit she needs…and opens so many possibilities.

FFFF the Hinata scene was weird. I wanted to add extra info, but then realized Kushina didn't know it. And since she doesn't know, Han'ishiki doesn't know. Plus, if you can understand the jargon that Han'ishiki spouted, you'll see the reason they didn't tell Naruto that Kushina was his mom. It also showed that Naruto is getting smarter…ish. Plus it'll give you _more_ thing to say wtf about in your reviews. 'Cause I don't think I've seen someone pull something like _this_ before.

And we must not forget about Akatsuki. They're my main villains after all! In case you didn't catch it though, Madara is _dead_. Which means no 'Moons Eye Plan'. Instead, we have the 'Seeds of War Plan'. I like this plan better, mostly because…well, you'll see…eventually…I hope.

By the way, did you know that Jiraiya's 'speech' is impossibly difficult to find a good enough version of? I had to use what I had and then improvise. Oh well, Naruto thinks Jiraiya is _old_. If only he were more than just smarter_ish_ (evil laughter of evil because I can). I also wanted to hogtie a toad since I don't think it's been done...weird.

Next time on Word of Honor; _Five Elements Unsealed._ Where I _finally_ get that pesky seal taken off Naruto, and have him play around a bit. Oh, and Han'ishiki shows a special 'funny' talent he has involving the Kyuubi.


	29. Five Elements Unseal

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Word of Honor**

_Chapter 29: Five Elements Unsealed_

The funeral was held a few days after Naruto had awakened on a surprisingly rainy day for Hi no Kuni; one that reflected the feelings felt by those who attended. Those who stood and watched their former comrades placed in the ground each found themselves remembering something about those they knew.

Everyone had something to remember about the Sandaime. He was beloved by all, and everyone who knew him had something good to say. It was almost a good thing that no one was allowed to say anything on his behalf. While those who were too young didn't understand the reasoning behind it, the older people understood better the reasoning behind it. While it wasn't quite true for everyone, many shinobi had enemies. And a tearful remembrance from the living would be all that'd be needed for an enemy to determine where to search for a weakness; whether it existed or not.

For his part, Naruto stood with the rest of them for as long as he was allowed. Due to his injuries, which hadn't fully healed yet for some unexplainable reason, he'd been told he could only leave the hospital for a short amount of time so as to not aggravate his injuries; especially due to the fact he'd be standing in the rain. He wished he could argue against them, but when ones body denied them full range of movement to the point he could barely lean over enough to touch his toes, his argument was cut short. Forced to agree with the doctor – and not wanting to be hogtied like he'd seen done to the toad – he found that he was simply grateful to be allowed to go and see the Sandaime Hokage laid to rest. It did help that the Hokage was first.

Eventually though, he was led back to the hospital, and forced to remain bedridden for the rest of the day. He would've broken out, but then they wouldn't have released him to leave with Jiraiya. And he really, really wanted to know what kind of perks summoning toads would give him.

Blame it on his ever present sense of curiosity.

Jiraiya picked him up the next day, as soon as he got the doctor to discharge him. Naruto would've kissed him for getting him out of the hospital as soon as he had. He was grateful to be alive, but with the amount of energy he had, he was getting wound up from lack of doing anything.

Not wanting to wait for too long, Jiraiya packed up a few items he found around Naruto's apartment and tossed them to him when they'd gotten a ways out. Naruto decided he didn't want to know how Jiraiya knew where he lived. It was creepy to think about.

Eventually, they reached a small shrine a few miles outside of Konoha. It was a quiet enough place, and it gave them a chance to rest, as well as for Jiraiya to start his instruction.

"Okay kid, time to teach you something new." Jiraiya stated, looking triumphant as the toad he'd just summoned held out a large scroll.

Naruto looked between the toad and Jiraiya. "Uh, why's the toad here, and what's with the scroll?"

Jiraiya patted the toad fondly on its head. "Summoning creatures isn't like using any other ninjutsu. They're living beings, and they can think for themselves. As such, to have one as an ally is a great boon to a shinobi." Seeing the blank look on Naruto's face, he rolled his eyes. "It's like having a kunai; only the kunai is an animal and can decide whether or not it wants to bite you if you don't treat them right."

"Oh, I get it!" Naruto said, eyes lighting up. It sounded kind of similar to Kiba and Akamaru's partnership, only he'd have it with toads, and they wouldn't constantly be by his side.

Jiraiya nodded. "Yeah, you're one of the few people I know who would really understand the importance of being friendly to your summons thanks to Kakashi's instruction. There are a lot of people who are…not as friendly with their summons." Motioning to the toad, it swiftly unfurled the scroll and laid it at Naruto's feet. "Another thing that's different is that unlike shinobi skills like ninjutsu and genjutsu, summoning requires a contract to create a 'bridge' between the summoner and the summoned. The scrolls that do this are scarce and really hard to come by if you don't know where to look for them, which means that it can't be copied by anyone unless they have the same contract you have. Even then, there are still some things you need to be explicitly taught before you can use them without any dangerous side effects."

Naruto grinned. "So I'd have something that would be so awesome that Sasuke can't copy it? Sweet!"

Jiraiya chuckled. "Yeah, something like that. I'll show you the hand seals as soon as you're done signing it. Just bite your thumb enough to draw blood, and put your name in the next empty slot on the scroll."

Naruto nodded, he fell to his knees in front of the scroll. Biting his thumb, he quickly began following Jiraiya's orders, scribbling his scroll in the slot with a flourish of his wrist. As soon as he finished and Jiraiya showed him the hand seals, he jumped to his feet with a large grin on his face as he went through them and slammed his hand on the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)!"

Jiraiya chuckled as a small cloud obscured their vision. He felt how much chakra Naruto tried to use, and could already feel satisfied with results. Or rather, the lack thereof.

Sure enough, when the smoke cleared, a tiny little tadpole was flopping about where Naruto's hand had been, barely half the size of Naruto's hand. Naruto's head fell, obviously disappointed in the results. Shaking his head, he ran through the seals again. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)!"

Another poof of smoke, and another tadpole popped into existence; slightly larger, but not by much. Naruto found himself quietly cursing at his failure. He moved to bite his thumb again, but stopped when he noticed he was still bleeding from his thumb. Shrugging it off, he made to go through the seals again.

Jiraiya on the other hand, was concerned. Before Naruto could finish the technique again, he stopped Naruto from moving by gripping his wrists. Naruto snapped his head up, turning his frustration onto Jiraiya. "Hey, what's the big idea?"

Jiraiya ignored Naruto as he turned Naruto's hands over to get a better look. Just as he thought, there was a small trail of blood still coming from the wound on Naruto's thumb as it continued to bleed freely. Sighing in frustration, Jiraiya snapped at him. "And you were going to tell me your thumb hadn't stopped bleeding…when?"

Naruto stared down at his thumb in confusion. "Uh, I don't know?" He shifted under Jiraiya's gaze, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. "This isn't normal?"

"No, it's not." Jiraiya muttered. Gripping Naruto's thumb, he turned it over carefully. Discreetly, he used the contact to begin sensing Naruto's chakra as best he could. After several moments of digging, he felt a slight discrepancy in the way his chakra was moving; too wild to be natural and since Naruto didn't look like the sort to be pulling any sort of technique at the moment it wasn't likely him. He raised an eyebrow, interested in the turn of events. "Huh, that's new."

"What?"

Jiraiya let go of Naruto's hands, running a hand through his hair. "Kid, I need you to take off your shirt."

"Say what?" Naruto asked, his eyes narrowed in distrust. "Why do you want me to take my shirt off?"

"Just do it. You'll thank me later."

Naruto looked at him skeptically, slowly removing his haori. When he'd been taken to the hospital, they'd had to cut off his spandex jumpsuit, so he only had short sleeved black shirt on underneath to replace said jumpsuit. It was a sad day for jumpsuits everywhere that Naruto only had a single pair of the green spandex.

After removing the shirt too, he gave Jiraiya a skeptical look. "Okay…now what?"

"Mold your chakra. Don't do anything with it, just mold it."

Naruto placed his hands into the 'ram' seal and began molding. As he did so, the seal on his stomach slowly began to reveal itself. Jiraiya looked over the seal, meticulously noting the work that had been done by the Yondaime. _'Two overlapping even numbered seals, smart. You did it to protect the kid, right Yondaime?'_ Jiraiya thought in approval. Then, he took note of the other seal over the first. It wasn't hard to tell them apart; the first ones were even, but the last one was odd. _'An odd number seal over an even numbered seal…the kids and the Kyuubi's chakra can't mix.'_ He scowled, realizing that he'd missed it and let the seal remain for longer then he should've. Had he caught it sooner, the Kyuubi's chakra wouldn't have done anything like this. He wasn't a doctor, but even he could tell that Naruto was basically being slowly poisoned by the tainted chakra in his system. _'Someone else put the odd numbered seal on him…and the sealing style is rough. It looks like Orochimaru's work.'_

Holding out his hand, his fingertips slowly began blazing with what appeared to be a blue fire. "Okay, hold still."

Naruto's eyes widened at the sight of the blue fire. "Oi, what the heck is that?"

"A quick fixer upper. Now hold still." Jiraiya muttered. Not waiting for Naruto to move, he drew back his hand and slammed it with each finger over each of the five points that had been placed over his normal seal. "Gogyou Kaiin (Five Elements Unseal)!"

Naruto's eyes widened as he was knocked off his feet and onto his back a short ways away from Jiraiya. Thanks to the help of the training he'd had with his shadow clones over the month before the finals, he was able to roll to his feet rather than be sprawled out looking like an idiot. Shooting Jiraiya a glare, he groaned as he gently rubbed his stomach. "What the heck was that?"

Jiraiya ignored his question, looking rather pleased with himself. "Mold your chakra again."

Despite being disgruntled and angry, Naruto put his hands in the 'ram' seal again, and began molding chakra again. Slowly, chakra began pulsating around Naruto until it began rolling off him in waves. For his part, all Naruto did was sport a growing grin as his chakra leapt off of him. "Whoa. What's going on?"

"Like I told you, a quick fixer upper." Jiraiya said with a similar grin. "Pressure points, to help you relax."

Naruto moved his chakra about experimentally. He suddenly felt great, like he'd never remembered feeling before. Feeling rather confident, he twisted and turned with his spine popping as he twisted. He groaned in relief as he bent over and touched his toes. What had been a lingering pain was slowly but surely leaving. It wasn't enough to completely move about, but it was enough to be noticeable. "Wow…just wow."

Jiraiya arched an eyebrow, amused by Naruto's antics. After seeing him rolling around and whoop for joy for the eighth time though, it began grating on his nerves. "Okay kid, settle down."

Naruto froze in mid-action, one leg still in the air with both arms flailing about. Falling on his face, he shot Jiraiya a happy grin. "I feel really, really good."

"Yeah kid, you said that already. Now let's see the difference in your techniques."

Jiraiya was rather curious about how this would turn out. Naruto had the seal on him for over a month –something that wasn't supposed to be there– and had improved enough to use more then a few of the techniques he'd known before the Chunin Exams. Thanks to the seal, his chakra had become wilder than it normally was, more difficult to tame then his normally blended chakra did. With the way his chakra blended, he'd never have enough chakra control for any high control techniques; not even the seal that had been placed on him would be able to fix that. With the seal removed and his chakra blending as it had before the seal had been placed on him however, his chakra capacity would grow as it had before. And that would make him dangerous on a whole new level; of course, he had to see what the damage was.

Naruto nodded, forming seals for his newest technique. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)!"

A puff of smoke enveloped them, forcing Jiraiya to take a step back. He could tell just from the smoke, what he'd summoned was at least as large as Naruto, though it might've been a bit shorter. When the smoke cleared, he was honestly surprised by the toad he saw. A dark orange-red colored toad, with samurai-like arm guards that covered the entirety of its forearms. Jiraiya knew him pretty well, having summoned him on several occasions to help keep someone he needed defended safe while he set up a trap of some sort. He was a safe bet as a summon, and Jiraiya was shocked that Naruto's focus had gone up that much with the seal removed.

"Ah, wazzup Jiraiya?" The toad said, giving him a salute. "You need some help on something, or are ya just callin' for a drink? You know the boss don't like it when you don't summon him for a drink every once in a while. If ya want, I can give him the message."

"Uh, yeah sure. I'll summon him for a drink as soon as I can Gamakanbou." Jiraiya muttered, rubbing his head sheepishly. "Thing is…I wasn't the one who summoned you."

"Really? Then who did?" Gamakanbou asked.

Naruto, feeling slightly neglected, spoke up. "Uh, hi."

Gamakanbou turned to the 'new' person with the toad variant of a raised eyebrow. "Eh? Who's this?"

"The name's Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm the new toad summoner." Naruto declared.

"New summoner eh?" Gamakanbou said, looking him over. With a small smirk he chuckled as he spoke. "You look pretty scrawny. And your fashion sense is…lacking."

Naruto blinked in confusion. "What's wrong with orange? You're orange."

Jiraiya shook his head. "He meant you're still shirtless."

Naruto glanced down at himself, twitching as he realized he was still shirtless from when Jiraiya had unsealed him. "Oh...yeah." Shrugging it off, he sat down next to Gamakanbou. "So, tell me about yourself."

**-xxxxx-**

Before the end of the day, Jiraiya and Naruto had made their way to a nearby city; widely known for some of the festivities that took place. Since Naruto had spent most of their walk slowing them down by talking to Gamakanbou, they ended up arriving just as the sun was setting. While Jiraiya wanted to hit the town for some of the late night activities, Naruto opted out. He wasn't as tired as he'd thought he'd be, but every part of his body still ached from the walk as he slowly made his way to the hotel room Jiraiya had gotten for them.

Flopping back onto the bed, he found he was rather happy with the results of his unsealing.

First thing he'd done after a bit of talking with Gamakanbou was form shadow clones. Lots and lots of shadow clones. He'd taken the time to figure out how many clones he could make before he bled during his training month, and started dancing about when he passed that limit by several dozens during a quick free-for-all fight. He'd practically kissed the nearest doppelganger, odd as that would've felt, he was so happy to have the ability to spawn his own perpetual army at a whim. It apparently impressed Gamakanbou too, because he was kept ranting about something or another to Jiraiya. Naruto didn't care; he had the ability to fully use his shadow clones again.

He laughed loudly, feeling slightly hysterical. Now that he had a moment where he wasn't able to focus on the steady beeping of his heartbeat, or distract himself viva conversation with a toad, recent events finally caught up to him.

His life had begun spinning so fast since he'd gotten back from Nami no Kuni, it felt rather surreal. He'd found out he had a bloodline, been making promises he wish he could take back, got some weird seal on him, fought a demon to the point of near death, and now was traveling with a stranger with absolutely no idea what was going on. Idly, he wondered if this was what it felt like to fall into madness.

Then again, he felt reasonably certain that he could be forgiven for feeling the way he did.

Slowly closing his eyes, he felt himself drifting away to dreamland. Where Han'ishiki would weave him a dream so he could rest and relax from the weight of the day off his shoulders. To forget for one moment so that he wouldn't end up going completely insane before the next day began.

Then again, he probably should've given Han'ishiki a heads up before falling asleep.

A moment after his vision darkened, it quickly brightened again as he found himself lying on his back in his mindscape. To make it even better, he was staring up at the ever present face of Han'ishiki. As he stared back up at him though, Naruto realized that there was something a bit different about him this time.

Han'ishiki looked _giddy._ Considering Han'ishiki generally looked emotionless, sarcastic, or –more recently– enraged, this was a rather frightening sight.

"**Hey Naruto, Naruto you gotta see this!"**

Naruto blinked as he was suddenly yanked to his feet. He stumbled forwards, the only thing keeping him from falling over being Han'ishiki holding him by the arm. "Wait, see what?"

"**It's the most amazing thing. I was walking through the mindscape, and I came across – come on, I'll show you!"**

Naruto yelped as he found himself being partially dragged by Han'ishiki towards a seemingly random direction. Naruto looked about frantically for Kushina, hoping she'd help out. When he saw her though, she was standing just in front of the path Han'ishiki was set on going down with a look of impatience.

When they passed by, Kushina fell into step with them. "Okay, what's this big thing you're going on about?"

"**Oh it's fantastic!"** Han'ishiki muttered in an almost dreamlike way. **"Just when things couldn't get any better here, they do!"**

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, things are so much better now."

"Behave Naruto." Kushina admonished gently. "Whatever this is that's got Han'ishiki so riled up is getting me pretty exited too. I really want to know what this is all about."

Naruto groaned as he yanked his arm free and began walking on his own. "Well, obviously I want to know too, but I was _really _looking forward to sleeping."

"Sleep when you're dead, see this first." Kushina replied, rolling her eyes at Naruto's whiney tone.

"**We're here."** Han'ishiki said in a singsong tone. Turning to the area in front of him, he made a grandiose gesture as he released Naruto and spun on his heel to face Naruto and Kushina. **"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce, The Wall!"**

Both Naruto and Kushina stared at the space Han'ishiki was motioning too. They both had a large sweat drop rolling down the back of their heads as they looked at where he was motioning. It was rather ironic in a way; it wasn't all that important, and there wasn't a wall there either. Just the spacious entrance to a stairway.

Kushina felt her anger rising, slowly turning to Han'ishiki "And this is impressive…how?"

"**You don't get it, there used to be a wall here!"** Han'ishiki gestured to the space again. **"And that's what's so cool about it! Nothing leaves the mindscape; things are only added onto it. So for a wall to suddenly disappear means that there's something new in your mind. In this case though, the wall was something that was added, that later left!"**

Naruto felt the urge to smack Han'ishiki on the back of his head. "What are you talking about?"

Han'ishiki slowly turned to Naruto, his grin widening ever so slightly. **"What's the one thing you haven't seen in your mind yet? That little thing we talked about while you were in the hospital?"**

"Which thing? We talked about a lot of things." Naruto muttered.

Kushina on the other hand, realized what Han'ishiki was talking about. "You mean this…this is the entrance to the Kyuubi's seal?"

Naruto perked up at this. _That_ was impressive. "Okay, so what now?"

"**What do you think? We're gonna go down and talk to old Fuzzbutt."** Han'ishiki said with a satisfied smile. Without waiting for Naruto to respond, he began walking down the stairway.

Naruto looked after Han'ishiki with a startled expression before he turned to Kushina. "You gonna come too?"

Kushina shook her head. "I'm just an imprint of…well myself. I'm not really able to leave your mind since I don't really _exist_ outside of your mind." She smiled sadly. "I'd like to go and figure out some stuff, but I can't. Sorry Naruto."

"Uh, okay?" Naruto had no idea what she meant, but had a basic idea of what she meant. "I, uh, I'll see you when I get back?"

Kushina nodded. "Yeah, I'll be here when you get back."

With a nod, Naruto rushed after Han'ishiki. He wasn't that far ahead of him, but then he wasn't trying to move that fast in the first place. Once he'd caught up with him though, his pace quickened to the point where they were making good time headed down the stairs. Their efforts were eventually rewarded, as they got to the end of the stairs, and entered what appeared to be some kind of sewer.

Han'ishiki looked from side to side, taking in the strange change in scenery. **"…cozy little place ain't it?"**

"Sure, let's go with that." Naruto mumbled.

They continued down the path, following the pipes aimlessly. Neither would've admitted they were lost, as both figured they'd find it eventually. And, eventually, they found a large opening that screamed 'I can hold a fifty foot tall fox demon' loudly to both of them.

Neither hesitated as they strolled into the space like they owned it. In a way, it was true. They housed the Kyuubi from the outside world, and they were simply coming to see how their 'tenant' was doing.

As they entered, behind the massive bars of its cage, the Kyuubi stirred. _**"Finally."**_ It slowly turned, letting only its malicious red eyes and hungry teeth show through the darkness. _**"I see my container had finally deemed it worth his time to come and visit. Come close –"**_

"**Honey, I'm home!"**

"_**...damn it."**_

Naruto strolled up to the bars, looking into the darkness eagerly. "Hello? Kyuubi, are you there?"

Han'ishiki chuckled. **"Oh, its here. I just knows that **_**I'm**_** here too. Hey, Fuzzbutt! Come on out and play!"**

"_**I should've known you wouldn't come alone."**_ The Kyuubi muttered, slowly attempting to back further into the darkness.

"You guys know each other?" Naruto asked, looking both lost and amused. Compared to the Ichibi, which had tried to take off his head, the Kyuubi was pretty harmless. Especially when it was trying to get as far away as physically possible from Han'ishiki.

"**Oh yeah, I came down here a couple times after you activated your bloodline."** Han'ishiki leaned slightly past the bars, attempting to peer further into the darkness. **"For some reason, the Kyuubi always yells at me whenever I come. Then again, I did try to give it pointers on its dramatic 'I'm the evil monster in your tummy' speech."**

"_**It was fine the way it was. The boy here would have been cowering before my cage and unleashing me upon the world, had he not been forewarned by you."**_

"**See? He's just crabby, that's all."**

Naruto stifled a chuckle. This was so different from what he'd expected. He'd expected the Kyuubi to hide in the back and wait until he got to close before trying to take his head off. That would have at least made the beast look more menacing. Right now, he was more scared of Akamaru then he was of the Kyuubi.

In his defense though, it was easy to see the similarities between Akamaru and the Kyuubi when Akamaru was given a soldier pill.

"So, how are things in the cell?" Naruto asked, feigning trivial, polite conversation.

The Kyuubi rolled its eyes. _**"Considering you locked me out, I'm rather surprised I wasn't simply released from this seal."**_

"Locked you out? Oh, you mean that thing the snake did." Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously. "Yeah, I didn't know what happened back there, so I just kinda ignored it. Sorry about that."

His nervous expression turned into a frustrated twitch when the Kyuubi snorted at the comment. _**"Really? You think being sorry will help? If you want to help, remove the seal and release me. Do that, and I'll forgive you for forgetting –"**_

"**Sorry, all out of the 'freeing you from your seal' prize. So to be nice, you get a consolation prize; a free hug!"** Han'ishiki darted past the bars, racing headlong towards the Kyuubi.

Instead of attacking, or doing something that would appear more productive, Naruto was surprised to see the Kyuubi dig its claws into the ceiling and pull itself away from Han'ishiki. Han'ishiki appeared undeterred, as he leapt after the few tails that weren't staying on the ceiling like the rest of it was.

"**Come on, it's a free hug! You can't beat a prize like that!"**

"_**I would prefer to be boiled alive in oil!"**_

"**Is this because you started to smoke the last time I hugged you? For the last time, I'm sorry! Naruto had the ultra spicy ramen and I couldn't help myself. Especially since it was a 'just after ramen' hug. I thought you liked ramen!"**

"_**I could care less for any food you and your other half could cook up. It doesn't taste that good. I should know, I'm forced to be reminded of the taste the damned stuff day after day."**_

Naruto slowly rolled his shoulder, feeling them pop as he walked past the bars as well. Unlike Han'ishiki though, Naruto was _not_ happy. "How dare you insult ramen! It is impossible to dislike the ever fragrant taste of ramen. Get down here so I can knock your teeth out!"

"**Don't worry about him."** Han'ishiki said as he stepped in front of Naruto. **"He means well, but that's beside the point. Let him work his anger out, and then I'll hug you better."**

"That sounds like a great idea! That way, I can beat you up even more, you ramen heathen! Get down here! I'll bite your legs off!"

From his position on the ceiling the Kyuubi hissed in pain. Being a 50 foot tall demon had its advantages, like never needing to hold itself up for extended periods of time other than for doing normal things. Now however, it was wishing it had time to build up that strength; because slowly and surely, its strength was going to give out. And once it fell, the two greatest nightmares to ever enter its prison cell would be upon it.

And it though it had it bad when it had been cut off from its host.

**-xxxxx-**

The next day, Naruto had an extra spring in his step as he and Jiraiya moved out again. In some ways, it was due to the fact he could make a legion of clones at his beck and call without having to worry about getting hurt, and in others it was due to reeducating the Kyuubi about the joys of ramen. However, there was also another reason. He'd had another strange dream.

This dream had Hinata in it just like the first, only she thankfully wasn't randomly dying. She was standing next to the blonde and the dark haired woman carrying a pig that he'd seen in his first dream. They'd been talking about something or another, but he couldn't hear whatever it was. After a moment, they'd turned to him and kept motioning to something in the distance behind him.

Remembering what he'd seen in his dream, he pause in his happy springy step and turned to Jiraiya. "Hey Jiraiya-san? Do you know of any castles nearby?"

Jiraiya gave Naruto a flat stare. "What are you talking about kid?"

Naruto shrugged. "I was just wondering if there was any place with a castle nearby. Or wherever we're headed." Thinking for a moment he laughed nervously. "I've never seen a castle before, and I've kinda wanted to see one. I mean, they're awesome!"

Jiraiya wanted to groan at Naruto's childish desire, but paused in thought. Technically, there _was_ a city with a castle. And since he would need to hit all the little villages around it in his search for Tsunade, it wouldn't hurt if he hit there first.

Plus, it was a perfect place for his 'research'.

"Well, there is one place I know of nearby. It's a big city called Tanzaku-gai, but I don't think we should go there." Jiraiya said, knowing that if he just took Naruto there, he'd be in _big_ trouble. So, he had to make the kid push to go.

Naruto shook his head in frustration. "Why not?"

"It's pretty…big place." Jiraiya muttered, his mind wandering to the many places he could momentarily ditch Naruto at without him getting hurt. "We could easily lose each other, and I can't promise anything. Plus, you just got out of the hospital. I wouldn't place any bets on you to get around in some of the places I'll have to head off to ta get information."

Naruto gripped his hiate-belt by the metal plate. "I'm a shinobi of Konohagakure. I've got plenty of tricks, I'm stronger then I look, and I've got the scars to prove it. I can handle myself."

It was true, the backs of his arms, and several of the wound from his battle with the Ichibi had left wounds that would more then likely scar. In a way, it made Naruto happy to have a 'reminder' of his epic battle.

Jiraiya nodded to himself, mentally agreeing with Naruto. Then, he shrugged. "Well, I guess there's nothing else to it then. We'll head off to Tanzaku-gai, and see if I can hit up some of my friends to help me out." Pausing, he turned to Naruto with a silly grin. "By the way, if you meet a cute girl there, try that line on them."

Naruto blinked owlishly. Thinking over what he'd said, and then what Jiraiya said, he tried to figure out what he meant. Unable to figure it out on his own, he open his 'link' with Han'ishiki. _'Hey Han'ishiki.'_

**:: Hey Naruto, what's up? ::**

'_Do you know what Jiraiya-san meant by that?'_

**:: Uh…maybe. ::**

Naruto perked up slightly. _'Well come on, what was he talking about?'_

**:: …okay, here's what he meant. ::**

Naruto listened to the explanation of what Jiraiya meant, nodding in all the right places. As the pieces came together, the dusty part of his mind slowly began to be illuminated by the light that went on in Naruto's head. He glanced at his hiate-belt, then gripped his chin in a 'thinking pose'.

Jiraiya watched in fascination as Naruto went through a plethora of emotions. He'd met a few Uzumaki's, but had never been around them when they were having one of their 'inner conversations' during a moment of peace. Generally, they were smart enough to figure out most of the things they encountered in life on their own, and didn't really need to take to the little voice in their head. Naruto obviously didn't know those things, and Jiraiya found it to be rather enlightening to watch his mind at work.

At least, he did until that light got to full blast and Naruto snapped his head towards Jiraiya with a look of shock. That shifted to disgust as he turned away. "Ero-sennin (Pervy Sage)."

Jiraiya face palmed as Naruto jogged a ways ahead of him. "Damn it all, he's just like Kushina." He glanced up to the heavens, comical tears running over the red 'tear marks' that adorned his face. "Why Kami? Why do I have to be cursed with such a nickname?"

"Ero-sennin! Come on, I wanna see the castle!"

A tick mark grew rapidly on his head. "Don't call me that gaki (brat)!"

Naruto just laughed as he ran ahead of him. They were going to head to the castle, and he was going to find the blonde woman. He didn't know _why_ he had to find her, but he would. He had too.

For Hinata.

* * *

AN: Rushing on towards Tanzaku-gai! Why? Because I can. Plus, with my tight schedule, I'm writing as fast as I can to keep up with it.

Also, I'm editing the 'Chidori Theory' so it can be used in generalization in regards to Naruto fics on FF as an actual theory.

The Chidori Theory: The theory that, in anime/mange, if a youth of upcoming talent is threatened by a serious threat it automatically becomes okay to teach said youth a super dangerous technique they should _not_ be learning until they're mature enough to use it properly.

And that's the 'basics' of the Chidori Theory. Use it as it applies, and to point it out to random other authors to confuse them.

As you can see, Naruto and Jiraiya are in Tanzaku-gai, and Naruto has not learned the Rasengan. Surprising? Uh...I just mentioned the Chidori Theory, so you should get the gist of what I'm getting at from there. If not, I'll simplify. Naruto's Akatsuki encounter hasn't happened yet, so there's no reason to teach it yet. He'll eventually learn it, but probably not 'till later. You've been warned.

Next time on Word of Honor; _Marked and Marking._ Akatsuki's first target is in sight, Anko does something very Anko-like, and I give you a quick peak at Orochimaru as he puts his plans in motion.


	30. Marked and Marking

Sad day guys, this is going to be the last chapter for a while...like 2 years or so. I'm going to be gone, and unable to continuously update this, and I'd like to appoligize now. I'm not discontinuing this or anything...just a hiatus. A (far longer then I want it to be) hiatus. I'll be back...eventually. Until then though, I did make sure to write up another chapter for your enjoyment.

Oh, and a quick shout out to Swordmagic51 for guessing that Naruto was glimpsing into the future!

And just to remind you all, Madara's death hasn't been explained yet. I'll get to that later.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Word of Honor**

_Chapter 30: Marked and Marking_

Itachi sat patiently, lightly sipping his drink as his eyes went over the crowd with a calculating gaze. He and Kisame had arrived at Tanzaku-gai earlier that day, and after Kisame had complained about being hungry, they'd grabbed something to eat. While he wouldn't admit it, he was thankful that they'd stopped. While he couldn't interact with people without drawing suspicion, he silently relived several fond memories he had of Tanzaku-gai.

"Huh, you were right about this place." Kisame muttered, taking another bite of his roast.

Itachi inclined his head slightly, his eyes not leaving the crowd. His Sharingan was active, and letting him remember every face that passed by him as he sought out their target. While it would take some time, and there was no guarantee their target would be there, it was better to be safe then sorry.

Kisame let himself sigh contently as he bit into another piece of meat. "How do you know about this place?" He asked, curious as he'd never seen Itachi take an interest in a little place like this.

Itachi thought about it for a second, thinking it over. After a moment, he figured it wouldn't hurt. "I was on an escort mission, and this was the place that asked for the delivery. It's such an out of the way place, I found I somewhat enjoyed eating here." Pausing for a second, he took another sip of his drink. "The food's not all that bad either."

"True." Kisame muttered. While it wouldn't have been his first choice, but after this he was considering seeing what other out of the way places he'd missed while he'd traversed the many countries he had. He'd have to be careful in some countries since he'd massacred several smaller villages, but that would be half the fun.

Itachi turned his attention back to the crowd, pausing with his drink halfway to his mouth as his Sharingan spun faster. He took in the crowd again, looking for the flash of color he thought he'd seen a moment before. To his luck, he saw it again; a flash of blonde hair that was quickly whisked through the crowd in a see of otherwise darker colors.

Pulling out some money and putting it on the table, he downed his drink and motioned to Kisame. "I found our target." Narrowing his eyes as he caught movement directly behind said target, he grimaced. "And apparently, there's an escort as well."

Kisame grinned. "Finally. I was starting to think they'd never show up." Turning back to his food, now with no inhibition of simply gorging himself, shoveled several large pieces of meat into his mouth before following Itachi's lead. "So, what's the plan?"

"We'll talk first and see if we can resolve this matter without violence first."

"That's always your first approach." Kisame said with a roll of his eyes. "You know this isn't going to be that easy, right?"

"Perhaps." Itachi muttered, catching where their target had gone as he followed after. "But it would still be better to bring out target back without a struggle, then to risk using the alternative means from the start."

Kisame chuckled darkly. "Yeah, that's true. Good thing you've got me for a partner, eh Itachi? If I was Deidara I'd likely blow this place up left and right looking for 'em."

Itachi sighed, the mental image of a blue Deidara attacking the city interrupting his thought process. "I think I'd be more worried about the new recruit we picked up then Deidara." Noting Kisame's blank stare, he elaborated a bit more. "The Jashin fanatic we picked up to be Kakuzu's partner."

"Oh right that guy." Kisame said, a slightly disturbed look on his face. "Man, that guy has issues. I mean seriously, if you're gonna enjoy killing someone, do it for yourself. Keep whatever that Jashin crap is to himself, and take responsibility for your bloodbath like a man."

Itachi said nothing, focusing on their target again. As they entered a hotel, he idly wondered who would win in a 'slaughter contest' between said Jashin fanatic, and Kisame. After a moment of thought, he mentally put his money of Kisame. If nothing else, the man was far more frightening a foe then many he'd met before. Good thing he was on his side; Kisame was the last person he'd want as an enemy.

**-xxxxx-**

For most people, waking up to a woman in one's bed was general considered a good thing; especially if the person was interested in the woman. Even if they weren't, waking up like that would be considered great by most.

Sasuke was not most people.

Which was why, instead of taking a moment to take in the situation and enjoy it while he could, he was busy trying to keep from hyperventilating. He knew for a fact that he'd gone to bed alone the night before, which meant that whoever it was had been able to stealthily sneak into his room at some point during the night, and worse yet was able to lay down next to him without his knowledge. If it were some sort of assassin, he was as good as dead. If it were someone else, like a fan girl, there was far worse danger to his person then an assassin would likely threaten.

In retrospect, sleeping in a bed big enough for two people when he only needed one was rather redundant.

Making painstakingly slow movements, Sasuke twisted his head to look over his shoulder to try and get a glimpse of his late night intruder. Regardless of who it was, he was likely doomed, so he might as well get a good look at them before he was viciously torn apart. As his eyes fell upon the sleeping form of his late night visitor, he found that it was option three; the only person he'd taken the time to mentally label as being more dangerous then any fan girl he'd ever met.

Mitarashi Anko, special jonin, snake mistress, and newest stalker of Uchiha Sasuke, lay lazily as she slept. Unlike many of her scarier expressions, she had a rather peaceful expression on her face. Her normally short, high spikey ponytail was loose, draping across her face and making her look deceivingly peaceful. As Sasuke attempted to shift further, Anko suddenly reached out and drew him against her chest like a giant teddy bear. It also made Sasuke realize that Anko was wearing the fishnet shirt she generally wore…and pretty much nothing else.

Ever the stoic Uchiha, he gently maneuvered her arms from around him and slipped a pillow into his place with a well timed Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Replacement Technique). Grimacing, put off due to the slight tint to his cheeks, he looked back at Anko suspiciously. While he wanted answers, he found he didn't really mind Anko's presence as much as others he knew of. Granted she had just broken into his home, but even that was okay.

"I'll get answers from you yet." Sasuke muttered as he moved to grab a shirt. The sound of whimpering drew his attention back to Anko, who clutched the pillow tightly with a pained expression on her face. Whatever she'd been dreaming of, it was causing her great discomfort. Sasuke shook his head. "I'm glad I got out of there before that happened."

Feeling a slight discomfort from his shoulders, he rolled them experimentally. He'd been training nonstop as soon as he'd been allowed to, and was slightly annoyed by the twinges of pain he continually received from working 'to hard'. He knew he needed to be more patient, but his recent fights had reminded him that he needed to get much stronger before he was ready to fight his brother.

Glancing at Anko again, a foreign thought entered his mind, causing him to pause in thought. _'Even though she broke in, she is technically a guest. And since she's a guest, I guess that means I need to…uh…uh-oh.'_

He'd never had guests in his house before, and had absolutely no idea of what to do now that he'd labeled Anko as a guest. Groaning in frustration, he tried to think of what he remembered of how his family would interact with guest. Pulling a blank, as most of the people he remembered coming over were just other family members stopping by, he fought the urge to hit his head against something to ease his frustration. Luckily, he was saved from his dilemma when his stomach roared hungrily.

Sasuke winced at the sensation of his stomach asking for food. He'd been so wrapped up in his training the night before and had pushed himself so had he'd basically limped home, showered, and went to sleep. With the training he'd done, and lack of food, he was now feeling the strains of hunger eating at him. Sighing in defeat, he abandoned his search for a shirt and went downstairs.

Anko stirred in her sleep, her dreamless sleep suddenly coming under a barrage of memories she'd much rather forget. Unable to rest now, she slowly pushed herself to a sitting position and rubbed her eyes wearily. As her vision cleared from her sleeping state, she slowly began taking in the room around her.

It was simple, too simple to be her room. There wasn't any clothes strewn about from her being too tired from a mission and too lazy to put it up the next day, a desk in the corner that had scrolls meticulously piled together for one thing or another, and there was a severe lack of dango plates that she'd generally had waiting to feed her a midnight snack should she wake up hungry.

On the thought of food, she sniffed the air curiously as an oddly delectable scent filled the air. Rising from her position on the bed, she paused as she recognized her state of undress. Not in her own apartment, and not feeling like revealing herself to whomever lived here, she picked up her trench coat and threw it over her shoulders before heading down the stairs.

When she walked into the kitchen, she found herself delighted by the simple, yet homely feel of it. There were condiments on the table for whatever was being made, and two pairs of plates waiting for her and whoever was cooking. Walking around the kitchen, shirtless except for a dark blue apron, Sasuke pulled several ingredients to add to the batter he was making.

Hearing her pull out a chair, Sasuke glanced behind himself with a blank look on his face. "Hn."

"Good morning." Anko said.

Motioning to what he was making, she noticed he had two different cooking items placed on his stove. "Do you like pancakes?"

Anko nodded vigorously. "Yeah, I like pancakes."

"How about waffles?"

Anko thought it over, not seeing a difference between the two. "Yes, I like waffles."

Sasuke sighed, pouring some of the batter into the waffle iron and some more onto the griddle next to it. "Anything you want to drink?"

"Got any juice?" Anko asked, knowing better then to ask for sake. She highly doubted he had any anyways. Sasuke just shrugged, pulling out a carton of juice and placed it on the table. As he did so, Anko noticed what was written on the front of his apron. "'Kiss the cook'?"

"What?" Was Sasuke's intelligent response. Noting her curious gaze, he followed her look to his apron. Mumbling curses under his breath, he turned away somewhat sheepishly. "It was my mom's apron. I never bothered to get another since this one works."

Anko nodded, thinking over how she could use that to her advantage later. "Ah, that makes sense." Taking on a more seductive look, she leaned next to his ear and whispered quietly. "Would you like me to kiss the cook?"

Unperturbed by Anko's advance, he waved her off. "Maybe later." Keeping his gaze firm, he narrowed his eyes. "I want some answers first, like why you broke into my house and slept in my bed."

Anko sighed, noting his reply to her first answer and filing it away, before answering. "I'd love to plead 'I was drunk' and be done with it…but I was very sober when I decided to come here." Pausing in her explanation, she amended her previous statement. "At least I think I was sober. I can't remember all the details."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her uncertain response. "That still didn't answer my question."

Anko nodded, fiddling with the knife Sasuke had set next to her plate absentmindedly. "I couldn't sleep. Normally I have nightmares that I can just deal with and move on. The past month or so hasn't been nearly as cut and dry as that. My dreams are more like memories…ones that I relive in vivid detail. I've woken up the last week feeling pain from old wounds that have healed up years ago, and it's affected my ability to perform in my shinobi duties."

Sasuke winced, surprisingly able to sympathize with her plight. He'd had a few similar memories himself; mainly of the pain he felt when he'd received his curse seal. "What does that have to do with me though?"

"I…you're safe. The memories aren't as bad when you're around." Anko muttered, putting down her fork and gripping her hands together. "When I couldn't sleep last night, I went out to find something to do to get my mind off of things. After a while, I ended up coming around here and I figured I'd feel better. I didn't….well, I guess I did mean to break it, but I didn't really intend to overstay my welcome." She chuckled nervously, scratching the back of her neck sheepishly. "I guess I was more tired then I thought I was."

Sasuke looked her over, noting for the first time the bags under her eyes and the way she looked almost dead on her feet. Her shoulder length hair, still not tied up as it had been the other times he'd seen her, appeared rather unkempt and messy. Although if he were honest, she had just woken up and obviously hadn't taken the time to look her best.

"So you broke into my house for a good night's sleep?" Sasuke didn't quite buy it, as there was obviously something else he was missing, but couldn't call her out on it without any other information to use.

Anko stared down at her hands. "Yes."

Sasuke groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stave off the oncoming headache. Anko was by far the most annoying, yet also the most interesting woman he'd ever met, and it was likely to drive him mad. Resigning himself to his future fate if these antics continued, he moved back to the pancakes. "Alright then, that's good enough for now." Looking over his shoulder, he asked. "The pancakes are almost ready, you want one?"

Or rather, he _would've_ asked her, had she not taken the moment from him stepping to the pancakes and asking the question to follow him and give him a quick kiss. Caught off guard, he barely registered the action as his eyes widened. He felt Anko lick his lips, slowly backing away with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"You said you wanted a kiss after you were done getting an explanation." She said with an impish grin, relishing in Sasuke's glazed look. "I just didn't want to disappoint."

She turned around, swaying her hips as she went to sit down. Sasuke, still unable to move due to shock, watched with a confused expression. A light 'ding' noise startled him, making him grip the pancake skillet and flip it a bit more violently then was really necessary towards Anko. Anko squealed indignantly as she used her plate to block/catch the pancake.

Seeing the pancake now on her plate, Anko shouted happily. "Yay pancakes!"

Sasuke muttered a string of curses he'd once heard his father mutter before, the words sounding rather foreign coming from his mouth. He watched Anko dig in ravenously into the food, giggling from time to time as she soaked the pancakes in syrup. Once again, he'd done something crazy; he'd let a person stay in his house.

This time though, he found that there was a foreign feeling in his gut. Not all that unpleasant, but intrusive enough to cause him some discomfort. Later, he would realize that for the first time in a long time, he'd had the feeling of being genuinely relaxed and safe. A feeling he wouldn't be able to shake off even after Anko had finished her food and left.

He'd also have the most productive training session he'd had all week, coming up with an idea for the 'flame-like chakra' idea he'd gotten from his fake explanation at the hospital that would be the beginnings of his first original and potentially the most destructive technique he'd ever have.

**-xxxxx-**

Orochimaru was having a good day. For those who didn't understand the genius yet twisted intellect he held, that may have sounded like a bad thing. They'd be right, but that would also be beside the point; especially since a good day for Orochimaru meant that less of his minions died painful deaths. Something they could all agree made for a good day for everyone.

After his skirmish with the Sandaime Hokage, he'd lost his arms to a sealing technique. While he'd initially cursed and ranted about having lost his ability to perform jutsu properly, he'd let it go in favor of doing something more productive with his time; like thinking up ways to regain usage of his arms. With Kabuto informing him that he didn't know how to heal his arms, he'd only had two choices.

The first option, find Tsunade. It was the option with the highest potential of success, seeing as she was the 'greatest medic of all time', but also the most risky. He'd have to bribe her in some way, and while it would advance his plans, his spies had informed him that he no longer needed to worry about the technique he'd recreated being used incorrectly as he had prepared for. He had other things to worry about, but knowing that simplified his plans.

The second option was far easier then the first, although it held other risks. He could 'jump' to another body. It was quite possible that this method wouldn't work, but with his other plans in motion conflicting otherwise, he decided it was better to be safe then sorry. Without much other thought, he'd had Kabuto instigate a free-for-all battle royal and then taken over the last man standings body as his own. He'd then taken the time to get used to the body to ensure he had full usage of his techniques and could at the very least replace the man's face with his own.

After all, he had a Sarutobi to corrupt.

Orochimaru fiddled with the armrest of his chair as he waited for Konohamaru to wake up. He'd been up and yelling at Orochimaru a while ago to Orochimaru's amusement, but had been unnecessarily silenced by one of Orochimaru's foot soldiers. Orochimaru had been rather displeased with this, and had shown the man in question his displeasure. Now, the biggest piece that he could identify was a skewered foot he'd pinned to the wall out of boredom, and to disturb his guest when he woke again.

Seeing the small form of Konohamaru slowly beginning to stir, he felt himself grinning widely. "Ah, I see you're awakening."  
Konohamaru shook his head, his nose scrunching up at the unfamiliar smell that assaulted his nose. "Where…what…" His eyes snapped up to Orochimaru, burning with a surprisingly strong inner flame. "You!"

"Yes, me." Orochimaru said offhandedly. "We've been over this already."

Konohamaru tried to leap at him, a miniscule amount of bloodlust rolling off him as he surged forwards. The only thing that kept him from completing his suicidal attack was that he was bound to the floor by a pair of chains shackled around his wrists. "What did you do to oji-san (Grandfather)?"

"I killed him." Orochimaru said with a shrug. He didn't care if the boy knew the truth; it would simply make him a more focused pawn to use later.

"Liar!" Konohamaru shouted, jabbing a finger at Orochimaru as his glared faded to a look of confidence. "Oji-san may have been old, but he's way stronger then anyone else! There's no way you could've gotten away without a scratch!"

Orochimaru chuckled, amused by Konohamaru's confidence. "Oh you're quite right boy, I didn't get off without a scratch."

Konohamaru blinked, looking over Orochimaru blankly. "You don't look like it."

"I got better." Orochimaru said clenching his hand into a fist experimentally. It was still a bit slower then he wanted, but it was meant more to give Konohamaru something to focus on. "In fact, I feel better then ever."

Konohamaru stared at Orochimaru's hand, his mind running over what his grandfather could've done to take out this guys arms. He'd heard Orochimaru's name before, but couldn't remember where or what it related to. The fact that he was shackled, and completely at his mercy made him extremely skittish.

"Why do you ask? Do you believe that I'm injured enough that you could hurt me?" He asked, obviously amused by the thought. Shifting in his seat, he focused his own bloodlust towards Konohamaru.

Konohamaru shuffled back, the chains clicking together lightly. He kept his eyes focused on Orochimaru, trying desperately to remember how to breathe under the oppressing feeling of his bloodlust bearing down on him. "N-no. But I-I'd still-still try."

Orochimaru paused, his eyes widening with a rather gleeful grin on his face. "Kabuto, remove the chains."

Kabuto, who'd been standing in a corner from the beginning with a passive look on his face, looked on in interest. "As you wish Orochimaru-sama."

Walking over, he quickly released Konohamaru from the shackles and backed away. Before he could get to far however, Konohamaru gripped his leg and leapt into his gut. Caught off guard, Kabuto stumbled backwards and eventually fell over as Konohamaru gripped his leg enough for it to bend and force him down.

Scrambling to his feet, and now armed with a kunai that had fallen from Kabuto's pouch when he'd fallen, Konohamaru let out a battle cry as he rushed Orochimaru. Orochimaru watched on in amusement, waiting until the last possible second before lashing out with a vicious backhand. Smacked across the room, but not out yet, Konohamaru picked himself up and rushed Orochimaru again. While he met with the same results, Orochimaru noticed the slight look of triumph in the little boy's eye. He probably thought himself rather crafty, and that he'd thought up a foolproof way to slip past his guard.

'_How foolish.'_ Orochimaru mentally grumbled as Konohamaru rushed again. Apparently he believed he could simply rush him and eventually he'd get past his guard. There was no strategy behind him movements, and had it not been for the fact he was still useful, Orochimaru would have killed him right then and there. He'd expected so much more than a simple rush maneuver.

Then again, Orochimaru had no idea Konohamaru had been taught by the infamous prankster Uzumaki Naruto.

"Oiroke no Jutsu!" Konohamaru shouted, obscured by the cloud of smoke that was generally created by the technique as he got into striking range again.

Had he known, or been better prepared, Orochimaru might not have been surprised by what happened next. From the cloud of smoke, a buxomest girl with long brown hair tied into twin pigtails and in a state of undress covered only with the puffs of smoke. Having never heard of any technique like that before, Orochimaru had perked up for a brief second, taking his eyes off the true danger approaching.

Which was why, when he got his bearings back, he was staring at the still buxomest girl, only to find that 'she' was attempting to push the kunai – that had pierced his hand by some subconscious reflex – into his face. Finally taking note of the danger, and pushing his surprise to the side, he gripped Konohamaru by his neck and lifted him away from the kunai.

With the turn of events, Konohamaru let the control of his jutsu fall as he hung helplessly in the air. Smirking in triumph as he stared at Orochimaru's bleeding hand, he lifted his chin in victory as he waited for Orochimaru to finish what he started. He'd managed to injure his opponent same as his grandfather, and he could feel satisfaction in that.

Instead, Orochimaru began laughing. He laughed loud and long, confusing Konohamaru and Kabuto who watched as he tossed Konohamaru onto his rump. "Oh yes, you will greatly amuse me boy. And here I thought you'd pull some other, more conventional technique in an attempt to kill me." He knelt down next to Konohamaru, a large grin slowly snaking its way onto his face. "Tell me, who created this ingenious technique."

Konohamaru, feeling pride in his 'Boss' and not knowing any better, stated proudly, "Uzumaki Naruto, my Boss and rival for future Hokage of Konoha!"

Orochimaru nodded, tapping his fingers along his knee lightly. Tired of the slightly twinge in his hand, he yanked the kunai unceremoniously out of his hand. Konohamaru's eyes widened in shock as Orochimaru casually handed it back to him. "My, what a surprise indeed. To think the Kyuubi jinchuuriki would create such a devastating distraction technique, and then teach it to my sensei's grandson (I don't know what grandson is in Japanese)."

"You were my oji-san's student?" Konohamaru asked in surprise, no at all taking note of how Orochimaru had complemented Naruto's jutsu. He already knew Naruto's technique was great, he just didn't have any way to upgrade the technique. Yet.

"Yes, I was." Orochimaru acknowledged, looking off fondly into the distance as though reminiscing on past memories. In reality, he was thinking of how to twist Konohamaru to his cause. With a twitch of his face, the final pieces of his plan fell into place. "Unfortunately, I had a falling out with the old man, as there were things we'd both done that forced us to go our separate ways."

Bright eyed and full of innocence, Konohamaru leaned forward expectantly. "What sort of stuff did you disagree on?"

Orochimaru stood up, pacing around Konohamaru as he spoke. "Well, for one thing, I began conducting experiments in an attempt to recreate a plethora of techniques that had been lost in time. What he never admitted to anyone was that he'd been the one to release the very dangerous former foreign shinobi into our midst."

Konohamaru blinked owlishly. "What do you mean?"

Orochimaru sighed dramatically. "There are times when we as hidden villages capture one of the enemy, and interrogate them for secrets to help us win wars. What some people don't know is that there are some who immediately jump at the prospect of getting out and cut a deal with the leader of the village in an attempt to gain amnesty from their former villages. Some of those people truly are genuine in their desire to leave. Others, are actually spies."

Seeing he had Konohamaru's undivided attention, he continued. "The old man believed himself to be a peacemaker, accepting those who forfeited information for amnesty without judging their character." He schooled his expression, forcing himself not to appear as angry as he felt at the memory. "That was a mistake. I was part of a counter-spy operation that had been organized when we'd been consistently ambushed by Iwa assault squads that seemed to know where to strike us where it would hurt the most. As part of the task force, we managed to track the information leaks back to their origins; our own village."

While about as bright as Naruto, Konohamaru was more than able to connect the dots. "The people oji-san let go?"

Orochimaru nodded. "They were plants, allowing themselves to be caught, give outdated information, and then take part in discovering our weaknesses and secrets so as to inform Iwa. I dismissed the force, warning them of the path I would tread to protect our village. I did what I had to for Konoha, figuring that while I took out the spies, I could use them as tools to achieve another, greater goal to continue in the betterment of Konoha." He sneered, remembering his sensei's face when he'd found out. "Because they were 'citizens of Konoha' though, I was betrayed by my sensei and forcibly expelled from Konoha. Me, one who only had its best interests at heart." He glanced down at Konohamaru, the final two hooks about to dig into the poor boy. "You know, I was a candidate for Hokage."

"Really?" Konohamaru asked, currently enthralled the tale Orochimaru had woven.

"Yes, really." Kneeling down next to Konohamaru, Orochimaru extended his hand. "I could train you. I know of paths to great power that would make you as strong as you oji-san so much sooner then you would otherwise."

Konohamaru narrowed his eyes. "There aren't any shortcuts. Naruto-bosu (Boss) told me if you want to become Hokage, you have to accept that!"

"And he's right, there aren't any shortcuts." Orochimaru said, nodding along with the boy's obliviousness. "But there are methods that take a different approach that make one stronger then if you follow what everyone else does."

Konohamaru looked skeptical at first, but his overeager nature got the better of him. "…really?"

"Yes. It'll still be hard work, but I think you can manage."

Konohamaru leapt to his feet. "Of course I can do it! I'm like Naruto-bosu, I can do anything I put my mind to!"

Forming an obscure hand seal he hadn't used since the Forest of Death, Orochimaru shrugged. "We'll see."

Faster then Konohamaru could see, Orochimaru's neck stretched out. His teeth elongated enough to puncture through the skin and clothes as his fangs sunk into Konohamaru's right shoulder. Without a sound of protest or acknowledging his injury, his eyes rolled up into the back of his head as he fell to the floor. Near the puncture marks formed a seal, consisting of three slightly curved lines, which spread in a rip like pattern.

Pulling himself together, Orochimaru sighed. "I would've preferred to have placed the Ten no Juin (Curse Seal of Heaven), but perhaps this will do as well. Hopefully you will take to the Chi no Juin (Curse Seal of Earth) Konohamaru-san, because sooner then you'll expect, I'll have need of you. So live, join me, and we'll become more powerful then you could possibly imagine." Turning to Kabuto, he held out a scroll. "Take this to the Sound Four, and tell them it is time to put Aoi to good use."

Laughing raucously, Orochimaru couldn't help but see the future in its ever shadowed way turning in his favor.

**-xxxxx-**

Itachi and Kisame walked down the hall of the hotel, Itachi's eyes glancing from side to side as he looked for the room the desk clerk had told them to go to. While initially he'd been rather stubborn about the information, his lips had loosened considerably under Itachi's genjutsu.

"You think being all diplomatic'll work Itachi?" Kisame asked, fidgeting with his sword in apprehension. He personally hoped that their target would attempt to snap at them and would give him something to swing his sword at. It had been a while since he'd been allowed to senselessly slaughter anyone.

"Perhaps." Itachi said, acknowledging his partners bloodlust idly as he finally found the door he had been looking for. "Then again, there is no harm in trying something like this in this manner and failing, then to fail at your method and have them completely cut off from us."

Kisame shot Itachi a rather offended look. "I do that _one_ time, and destroy _one_ village, and you hold it over my head?"

"Yes, yes I do." Itachi said, his flat tone seeming to punctuate his displeasure at how that had gone.

"Yeah, whatever. Let's just get his over with."

Itachi quickly rapped on the door, already knowing that the room was occupied, and that there was no reason for the door to be left unattended. Sure enough, he heard the mumbled cursing of someone on the other side of the door shortly before the door was yanked open. A blonde head stuck out, prepared to yell at whoever had disturbed them before getting a good look at Itachi. There look of shock and a hesitant step back as the red eyes of the Sharingan met brown eyes for the first time.

"Hello Tsunade-sama. May we come in for a moment?"

* * *

AN: DUN DUN DUUUN! (storm noises and evil laughter)

...That would feel so much more evil if this weren't the last chapter for a while.

Yet another thing I don't think I've seen; Tsunade being coerced by Akatsuki. Granted, there are plenty of Orochimaru coercing Tsunade, but I don't think I've seen Akatsuki have a go at it. Should be so much fun! (if there is a story, let me know!)

First up, Sasuke. I got this idea from one of my reviewers mentioning 'Anko sneaking into his bed' and it all went crazy from there. It's actually a good point to add to the plot, but then Anko got out of hand. She wasn't _supposed_ to kiss Sasuke, but then again he was wearing an apron with 'kiss the cook' on it with Crazy!Anko. I think it's safe to say she was reasonably justified in that.

I felt the urge to give Konohamaru some time, and figured that this would work. What I didn't expect, was for Konohamaru to attack (and actually injure) Orochimaru. It won't work a second time, but dang it all that technique caught him off guard for long enough to hurt him! How many people have used that technique is such an underhanded yet surprisingly thought out manner?

…no seriously, is there anyone who tried it in an actual battle situation like that?

The little 'backstory' behind his defection was something I got from all the other stories where Naruto gets foreign shinobi to join Konoha...and they're all so good. They'd make perfect targets...especially if he was right in his explaination. He also gave Kono a curse seal, so you'll get a bit on that…later. Meanwhile, Aoi is coming back into the picture. I thought I'd never get here. Sigh, time for the preview!

Next time on Word of Honor; _Place Your Bets._ But then again, all bets better be put on Naruto since he's raring to go.


	31. Place Your Bets

Hey guys! Turns out I've got a few weeks before I can get my paperwork together, and have to leave. As such, I wrote as fast as possible to get this out to you. I'm pumped, and pushing keys like lightning. I checked my keyboard, and found scorch marks I was typing so fast. I'm also in pain seeing as it means I get a brief window to write and post before I leave for two years. I'm gonna make the most of it though, so look for the few new chapters I get out.

Since I've got time, I'm gonna try and finish up the Tsunade Arc before I've got to go. Which means I have…like three or four more chapters to finish up. Easy? Not so much. If I get a chance, I'll let you know where I'm going to be headed to and when. Otherwise, just enjoy what I get out before I come back to finish it two years from now.

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't see why I have to tell you I don't own Naruto. You already know, 'cause _you_ don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Word of Honor**

_Chapter 31: Place Your Bets_

"We have a winner! Come on up and take your prize."

Naruto blinked owlishly as he took the money he'd won in the raffle. He hadn't even realized what had been happening when he'd bought the ticket, attracted by the man's shouting about winning money quick. Not bothering to think it through, he'd bought a ticket and waited for the crowd to gather around. Surprisingly, it gathered rather quickly, and Naruto had realized he'd bought the last ticket.

And somehow, that ticket had won.

Some of the other adults who'd lost eyed him warily, more then likely thinking of some way to get the money from him. Acting casual, Naruto fiddled with his hiate – still around his neck – just enough to draw their attention. The instant they realized he was a shinobi, they turned away and pretended to just not notice him.

Naruto smiled to himself as he loaded his frog shaped wallet, oddly named Gama-chan, and put it into his pouch. He'd given the more part of his money to Jiraiya for safekeeping when he'd decided to split up. Since he'd told Jiraiya he was going to check out the castle, Jiraiya had taken it upon himself to warn the boy that Tanzaku-gai was infamous for having anti-shinobi measures in place to prevent shinobi from cheating while also allowing them to join in on any of the 'events' they'd hold. He'd then informed Naruto that, since he was a kid and couldn't exactly be trusted to _not_ join in on the events, he'd only give him a small amount to keep on him so as to discourage him from gambling.

Jiraiya was such a responsible man.

Lifting his eyes upwards, they quickly fell upon the towering structure of the castle. Narrowing his eyes, he focused on the memory of the woman he was looking for; blond hair tied up in twin pigtails, traveling with a dark haired woman carrying a pig that was wearing a vest. He'd gotten closer during one of his dreams to notice a diamond shaped mark on her forehead, something he hadn't noticed before then, which would likely help his search.

Feeling lazy, he stuck his hands in his pockets and followed the crowd towards the castle. He didn't have time to waste, but if he just went over the rooftops, the woman he was looking for would see him from a block away. No other shinobi were here, and if they were, they weren't using the rooftops; he'd put a bulls-eye on his back if he were the only one to do so.

Picking up his pace, he took notice of the many buildings on either side of him as he ran through the streets, noticing that there were a _lot_ of places to duck into. With Han'ishiki keeping count where he couldn't, they both came to the same conclusion. He was going to be spending a lot of time looking for this woman. The only thing that would help would be if he could be as lucky as he was in the random gambling endeavor to find her before she left.

Of course if she'd really been a medical shinobi, especially if she was one good enough to heal Hinata, she'd likely notice him long before he got close. Unless she was super unlucky, there was no way he was getting close. After all, no one could be so unlucky to not feel _him_ with all the chakra rolling off of him, right?

**-xxxxx-**

Jiraiya was rather reluctant to admit it, but his luck really sucked. He'd con Naruto into giving him most of his money so he could pay for some 'entertainment' before he went off to get information on Tsunade. He had his orders, but they could wait a moment or two right? Besides, what was the worst that could happen?

"How the heck did I end up in my underwear?"

Jiraiya twisted his wrist in his binds as he looked for a way out. He'd been having a great time with two very, _very_ lovely ladies, and had thought he'd his the jackpot when the invited him to a private room. Thinking back on it, he had no idea how much, or even what he'd drank, but it had quickly rendered him unconscious, and somehow led him to this lowly state. And to think he'd entered Tanzaku-gai just this morning, and had gotten into all of this trouble before the day had ended. A new record if he were honest with himself.

Giving a hard yank, the loosened ropes gave way and allowed him to be loose once again. Rubbing his wrists lightly, ignoring the barely noticeable stinging sensation, he pushed himself to his to his feet and began rummaging around for his clothes. It wasn't unusual for this to happen at least once to him when he came to this area, and he knew what to expect. They'd steal his money, enact 'righteous female vengeance' on his notepad, and then leave him passed out on the floor. The stripping him down and tying him up part was new though; he'd have to try putting that into his upcoming book. Of course, there would be…other stuff that would obviously happen, and it wouldn't be his main guy tied to the bed. He giggled perversely as he mentally recorded that to put into a notebook the moment he got his hands on a new one.

Rummaging through the items he could find in the room, he thought back on Naruto. Somehow the kid had gone far and beyond his wildest expectations. He knew his parents, and their potential, but the potential that had been unlocked, and borderline unleashed for Naruto was exponentially higher then anything he'd ever imagined. It was still far too wild, and would need to be greatly refined, but just the fact he had this sort of power was an ace people thought was long gone. Then again, he hadn't really been able to get a lot of information from Sarutobi, since he'd been out attempting to expand his spy network to include some of the minor villages he'd never been able to set up in previously. He'd gotten extremely lucky when he'd discovered Otogakure, but had wound up disappointed in the lack of location seeing as he'd only heard of it through rumor alone.

Dropping to his stomach to check under the bed, he frowned as a memory popped into his head and forced him to ask a very serious question.

During the Second Great Shinobi War, he'd trained three orphans when he'd stayed a while near Amegakure, one of which had been an Uzumaki. He'd managed to get a surprising amount of information out of the young Uzumaki, despite his obvious lack of teachings. It really didn't help that he was different from Naruto with the way his bloodline had activated; activating the Rinnegan (Samsara Eye) instead of Naruto's promise bound bloodline.

While Naruto's bloodline was good to have, Jiraiya didn't know enough to put any trust in it. There were too many unanswered questions, and whenever he tried to pry for more, Naruto turned out to be useless at getting information from since he never answered any of his questions. Sometimes it seemed like he would know something, but would start spouting some nonsense about the difference between girls and guys or something like that. It was nice to hear he had an interest in girls, but some of the stuff he said made his head hurt. Especially when Naruto felt it was necessary to _yell_ it at him.

Scratching his head and going to the dresser in the corner, remembering pieces of Naruto's rants, his mind went to Kushina. A completely different insight into the Uzumaki bloodline, but scarce in actual content as well. Hers was a completely different variation of what he'd seen of _both_ variants, and it had driven him mad for a week before he reconstructed his hypothesis on the bloodline and its abilities. With Naruto's, he'd had to scratch that and write up another one; one that could potentially change everyone's views on bloodlines forever. After all, how many bloodlines were versatile enough to take _three_ different forms in different people? For all he knew, the bloodline was even more random, and somewhere there were actually _more_ variants he knew nothing about. It was a scary thought.

"Where did they put my clothes?" Jiraiya asked, pushing all other thoughts away as he was forcibly focused back onto the task at hand. He'd looked high and low, and yet there was no sign of his clothes anywhere. And if they weren't here then where could they… "No…tell me they didn't."

It was a little known fact that, due to his methods of observation, that he had a very bad reputation with many women who used the hot springs to relax, and even more hot springs owners who were tired of him running their customers off. And as such, there was a 'bounty' out on whoever could bring in his clothing to the owner of any hot spring. Jiraiya may have been caught, but they'd never been able to describe just how flamboyant his clothing was, and as such there were only vague warnings about him.

With his clothing, they could begin circulating his clothes to anyone who owned a hot spring, and then have them warn the men to be on the lookout for a man wearing said clothing with a bounty on his head, and then his unique fashion style would be ruined! He'd spent so much time putting together that outfit to ensure his enemies and the women he met remembered him; to have to find something new was both humiliating and exhausting.

Jiraiya rushed to the door, freezing with his hand on the door just before he opened it and rushed out. He was a second from simply ripping the door off its hinges and rushing to the desk clerk to ask the person for help getting clothes, but had hit a small snag. He was completely unclothed save his boxers. His special, limited edition Icha Icha boxers. And while he flaunted his normally flamboyant clothing freely, and loudly proclaimed himself the world's most esteemed super perv, he was not an exhibitionist in that particular manner. He did _not_ want to walk out there and show himself off to the people he'd undoubtedly meet; even if his super toned muscles he kept hidden could help score him a girl. It was too much of a chance to take.

Hearing a commotion outside, he tore his gaze from the door and poked his head out the window. On the other side of the city, there were loud cheers and shouts for some kind of street fight. For a brief second he figured he'd better ignore it. Then, he noticed a small, dissipating cloud of smoke on one of the roofs that revealed an orange form he'd missed due to it being so small.

"Oh shit!" Jiraiya shouted, leaping out the window with a complete disregard to his undressed state. "Dang kid couldn't keep his nose clean for _one_ day? Gah, I'm gonna ring his neck if he doesn't get himself killed first!"

**-xxxxx-**

**A little after noon.**

**-xxxxx-**

"Twenty-four. Sorry miss, but you've gone over."

"Tsunade-sama, can we please stop? We're going to lose all the money we borrowed!"

Tsunade glanced at Shizune, taking brief note of her distressed look. While she would've simply blown her off and left it at that under normal circumstances, she decided to place only half her normal wager down for the next round. Might as well make her money last while she could. Gambling normally helped calm her down, giving her something to focus on that wouldn't actively kill her. Today though, her mind was elsewhere, troubled by what she'd been told.

During the unconventional meeting she had, and the fact that she'd been staring a dangerous S-ranked criminal with the capability of creating genjutsu using only his eyes, she'd felt no trace of chakra or deceit from the young man as he'd spoken. She'd notice his partner twitching in the corner, but ignored him for the most part. What he'd proposed, an organization that was in need of her medical expertise that would keep away the debtors and anyone else seeking her out, sounded almost too good to be true. But when she faced the fact that she'd been standing in front of a man who'd slaughtered his clan and hadn't been caught as of yet, she felt somewhat certain they'd be able to keep their promise. And that had startled her, due to the fact she'd never heard of them once before.

Despite all of that though, she'd asked them to give her time to think it over. Since they apparently had all the time in the world, they'd agreed and left her to her own devices. Before Itachi left though, he informed her that they'd only be able to give her a week to think it over before they'd need her to give an answer. Not a whole lot of time, but it should've been more then enough.

That was two days ago. Since then, she'd lost several thousand in casinos, and had to hit up a couple bars to drunk herself to sleep dreamlessly at night. The prospect of what they'd implied was pretty sweet, and to prevent herself from just jumping in and agreeing, she'd tried to distract herself.

The cards were placed in front of her; one an eight of spades, the other a seven of hearts. Fidgeting with her cards, and taking note of what the others had, she motioned for the dealer's attention. "Hit me."

The dealer nodded, placing the card on top of her other cards. A four of hearts. Behind her, she could hear Shizune's breath hitch. If she just held onto what she had, there was a distinct possibility that she could win. Glancing at some of the others at the table though, she had a feeling she wasn't that lucky.

"Tsunade-sama please." Shizune said, a hint of desperation in her voice.

Tsunade rolled her eyes at the tone. She knew better then to take another card, but the thrill of knowing that there was a card that could get her to the exact point she needed to be at was like an itch she needed to scratch. She wanted to take another card, and Shizune or not, she was going to take another card.

Before she had a chance to say anything though, there was a loud shout of triumph from behind her. For a brief second, she thought someone had gotten lucky at one of the other tables. Then, "Ha! I knew finding a pig wearing a vest wouldn't be all that hard!"

Her head snapped around, searching for the source of the voice. It quickly fell on a blond kid that made his way through the other tables. Just from watching him move, she could tell that he'd had physical training of some sort. She was about to stand up, noting with trepidation that he wore a Konoha hiate around his waist before her gaze fell upon his face. Sun kissed blond hair, bright blue eyes, and a grin that seemed to light up the whole room. Her brief pause as recognition flashed across her face was all the time he needed to catch up with Shizune.

"Hi there!" Naruto said brightly. Oddly enough, he appeared to be addressing Tonton, their pet pig. "Have you seen the two ladies you follow around? I kinda need to talk to them for a bit."

"Uh, what are you doing?" Shizune asked, confused by the boy who'd suddenly approached Tonton, and by extension her.

Naruto glanced up, looking perplexed by the question before lighting up. "Oh hey! You're the girl who's always holding the pig!" Looking back to Tonton, he grinned and gripped the pig's leg, shaking it like a hand. "Thanks for the help. I never would've found them without your help."

"You were looking for us?" Shizune asked, obviously surprised by his blatant approach.

Tsunade on the other hand, narrowed her eyes. This guy had obviously been seeking them out, but was likely only a genin if how he'd reacted to Tonton first was any indication. Unskilled, and having no idea what to really look for, although it could've just been a distraction to make her lower her guard. It wasn't likely since she'd had people trying to do stuff like that all the time, and she knew who was sincere and who wasn't. Of course, when they finally tried to sneak up on her, she'd broken them in half.

"Hey, what'cha playing?"

Tsunade jumped in shock. Somehow, between him talking to Shizune and her thinking, he'd snuck up and was peeking over her shoulder curiously.

"Sir, unless you're planning on sitting down, you need to leave sir." The dealer said, having taken brief note of his hiate before speaking. Being a legal adult, he could allow the boy to play, but regardless it would still have to be him who'd join in.

All the dealer got in return was a brief glance at him before he tapped the top of the deck. "Put another card on her pile."

Tsunade grinned, her mind quickly shifting back into 'gambling mode'. "Oh yeah, I like this kids style!" Noticing that the dealer was waiting on her, she waved her hand. "Do what the kid said!"

The dealer shrugged, figuring that since the boy hadn't been here long he couldn't have done anything to fix the game, and placed a card on her pile. All eyes widened as they leaned over her pile and stared in shock. "T-two of clubs."

Tsunade stared down with a rather vacant expression, her mind barely processing her victory. Behind her, Shizune was shouting and hollering gleefully at how they weren't losing all their money. For Tsunade, it meant _bad_ things were coming.

"Uh, does that mean you win?"

Slowly, the light went on in her head and she turned to the boy next to her. "What's your name?"

"Huh?" Blinking in confusion, scratching his head sheepishly. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

Grabbing him and setting him down next to her, Tsunade glared at everyone. "He's making all my decisions from now on. He's says hit me, you hit me. No one's gonna have a problem with that…right?" There was absolute silence, to which Tsunade smiled darkly. "Good."

A few hours later, Tsunade and Shizune were giggling like schoolgirls as they drank heartily from their sake cups. Naruto watched, nursing his water as he grumbled about stingy women. Tsunade had deemed it medically unhealthy for a child to drink until he was older. When Naruto had complained that he was a shinobi, Tsunade ruefully informed him that while he was considered an adult, there was no point in drinking just to drink. Shinobi drank to forget what they'd done, or what they'd seen, not for the fun of it...well, most the time. Despite their obviously flushed faces from having had a bit too much to drink, both remained quite lucid and were more then able to speak coherently enough to be understood.

"You kid, are so awesome." Tsunade said, draping her arm over his shoulder. "I have never met a more lucky kid in all my life. And let me tell you, I've known some lucky people."

Shizune sidled up next to his other side, leaning her head on his shoulder with a content look on her face. "I'm so glad you found us. Tsunade-sama has the worst luck, and we'd lost so much." She pouted, playfully pinching his cheek. "And you are so cute!"

Naruto frowned, brushing off her hand. He'd never had anyone pinch his cheek before, and really didn't like the feeling. How other kids just let older people pinch their cheeks all the time, he didn't know.

"I'm glad I helped you and all, but I…" Naruto started, quickly trailing off as he suddenly realized that despite the fact he'd had a dream about them, and figured he had to find them, he had no idea what to do now. He hadn't thought he'd get this far, and had been so excited from having found them – plus, all of Shizune's shouting whenever he won – he'd never brought up the time to make a plan. Luckily for him, Han'ishiki had and did have a plan. Be up front with his intentions. "I need your help with something."

Tsunade blinked confusedly, not expecting that. "Huh? What do you need us for?" She frowned as a thought crossed her mind, jabbing her finger into his chest. "You aren't old enough for _that_ either!"

Naruto filed that confusing statement for later. "Will you hear me out please?"

Shizune looked up, a glimmer of worry in her eyes. "What's wrong Naruto-chan?"

"I have a friend who's…injured?" Naruto said, his statement more of a question as he realized he had no idea what was going on with Hinata at the moment. "And she needs someone who can heal her."

Tsunade caught the way he'd put his statement, cocking her head with a confused look in her eyes. "Why not ask someone else? Doesn't Konoha pay their shinobi good enough to pay for your girlfriends medical bills?"

"It's not that. Whatever it is, it's too bad for a normal doctor to help her with. I figured if I asked you, you might be able to help." Naruto said, oddly not bothered with the 'girlfriend' quip. "All the doctors kept saying, 'if Tsunade were here –"

"Oh don't give me a sob story." Tsunade snarled, pushing herself away from Naruto to slid around to the other side. Facing him fully, she was able to level a glare at him with full force. "I really should've known better then to believe you. You Konoha shinobi are all the same."

"Wait, what are you –"

"You all come, trying to find me, and then you bring up some sob story about your teammate, sibling, whatever, expecting me to come back." Tsunade gripped her cup tightly. "You're a shinobi damn it. You'd better be able to stomach the fact that some of your comrades and family members are gonna die. If you can't, you'd better get out of this business fast."

"It's not anything like that." Naruto said, glaring back at Tsunade with full force. "She's a friend who had to fight her cousin in the Chunin Exams, and got badly hurt. I need to help her."

As the words came out of his mouth, they felt foreign, yet right. He really had no attachment to her besides his promise, and while she probably had no idea he'd even made it, he wasn't going to break it. Surprisingly, he felt like even if he hadn't had a bloodline that kept him from breaking his promises, he would've still kept it. Even if it was just for her. The conflicting thoughts were giving him a headache, and Tsunade's rant was not helping.

Tsunade rolled her eyes at his 'seemingly' heartfelt words. "Yeah right." Downing her sake cup, she placed it with a loud clatter onto the table. "You will not make me go back to that hellhole no matter what lies you try telling me."

Had Shizune not had her head on his shoulder, he would've leapt up and defiantly shouted curses at her. Unable to do that, he began clenching and unclenching his fist under the table.

"Do you have any idea what it's like to live through a war? When your friends aren't dying, the stress of the waiting kills you inside. Sometimes the foreign conditions get under your skin and you make a mistake. And sometimes you get some kind of sickness, or poison that kills you off so much slower that you end up dying that your life becomes a pointless loss." Tsunade shook her head, trying to force back the images she was remembering. Ignoring the small sake cup, she gripped the bottle and too an extra large swig of the sake. Reaching around her neck, she pulled out a green necklace and began fiddling with it. "I lost two important people in the war. All because of a dirty, rotten curse."

Naruto felt his mind go blank as he processed the words she'd said. Before he could help himself, Han'ishiki pushed a word through his mouth. "Hypocrite."

Tsunade froze, her eyes suddenly shadowed as she spoke venomously. "What?"

Naruto twitched violently, noticing the way Tsunade was acting. Just like Sakura when he said stupid. _'Han'ishiki! What was that? What did hypocrite mean?'_

**:: It means she's saying one thing, but doing another. She just told you you'd have to see people die, and basically to get over yourself. Yet she just said she was still mourning two people who died during the Second Great Shinobi War. A war that's at least fifteen years over. ::**

'…_okay I get that, but why did you make me say it? She's gonna _kill_ me!'_

**:: I didn't do that. Kushina did. She said sorry, but Tsunade is stronger then that and the way she's acting is pissing her off. ::**

Before Naruto could say anything else, Tsunade had reached across the table and lifted him into the air. "What do you know about me? What I've been through?" She hissed as she glared down her nose at Naruto.

Naruto, going with the flow, mentally took a step back as Kushina raged forwards. "You were the best medic anyone had ever seen. You faced off with both your teammates against Sanshōuo no Hanzo (Hanzo the Salamander) and were named as one of the Densetsu no Sannin (Legendary Three Ninja) because you lived. You were a proud woman who left when you could've done the most good." Naruto felt Kushina lean him forwards, getting nose to nose with Tsunade. "And if you think I'm a liar, you've either lost your touch or drank too much."

Tsunade sneered at 'Naruto's' declaration. "Really? You think you could take me?"

Naruto mentally stepped forward, shoving Kushina to the side as he heard a challenge he was more then willing to take. And now, he finally understood what his dreams had told him to do. "How about we make it a bet?"

Tsunade, drunk or not, recognized the challenge for what it was. "A bet huh? What are we betting?"

"We'll both wager something we don't want to do. If I win, you'll come back to Konoha with me, and you'll help my friend." Naruto said, knowing that she wouldn't like it, and he would hate what he knew was the only thing of equal value to what he was having her wager.

Tsunade curiously raised an eyebrow at Naruto. "And if I win?"

"I'll quit being a shinobi."

There was a strange silence that hung in the bar, as Tsunade thought over whether or not she'd take the wager. "Alright, what'll we be doing?"

"We're gonna fight."

At this valiant declaration, Tsunade threw her head back and laughed loudly, getting the attention of most of the patrons of the bar as she shook her head. "Kid, I was stronger then you were before you were even a glimmer in your parent's eyes." Grinning victoriously, she gripped her necklace and raised a single finger. "Tell you what, I'll up the odds for you. I'll only use one finger. If you make me use more, then I'll give you this necklace."  
Shizune perked up at this, her mind finally catching up from the stupor she was in. "Tsunade-sama! You can't –"

"I don't need a handicap to beat you, especially not for some necklace." Naruto said defiantly. If he won, he would do so fair and square.

Tsunade chuckled at his naïve statement. "You have no idea what this is do you? This is the Shodaime Hokage's necklace. The mineral it's made of is worth enough to buy a mountain if you wanted."

Naruto's eyes widened, focusing more intently on the necklace in front of him. "So you're saying that's the necklace of _the_ Shodaime Hokage? How did you get a hold of that?"

"That's not important." Tsunade muttered, noticing the subtle change in Naruto's attitude. "Are you going to take the bet or not?"

"Yeah, I'll take the bet. But it's not for the necklace." Naruto jumped over his chair and headed towards the door. "Let's get this over with."

As the two faced off, Tsunade noticed they were going to be fighting in the middle of a small crowd seeing as business was still booming for the people of Tanzaku-gai. Ignoring everyone else, she focused on Naruto. "If you're not doing it for the necklace, what are you going to be doing it for then?"

Naruto slowly slid into a starting stance, staring down Tsunade. "Because I promised I wouldn't back down. So if you want to add your necklace into this and only use a finger; I don't care. All I care about, it winning this fight, and getting you to heal my friend."

Tsunade rolled her shoulders, lifting her finger in front of herself with a smirk. "I seriously doubt you'll make me use more then one finger kid."  
Little did Tsunade know that Naruto had used that moment to draw on a little extra kick from his 'I won't back down' promise. Feeling the familiar numbing sensation, he closed and released his hand experimentally. Unlike the times before, he was completely numb; in a way where he would had absolutely no idea if his hand was closed or not if he hadn't thought and seen his hand close into a fist. Grimacing at the fact he hadn't thought to test out his bloodline earlier to see if there were any changes with the seal off him, he turned back to Tsunade.

"Place your bets! Step up now and place your bets!"

All around them, people scattered quickly, forming a large ring around them. Off to the side, several people from the gambling establishments had stepped up and were writing names and taking bets on who would win the fight, and on different stakes people wanted to wager. From the changing of hands, whoever the few people who were betting on Naruto to win would either lost a lot of cash, or would end up swimming in money before the end of the day.

Shizune stumbled out of the bar a moment later, any signs of her having been drunk were now long gone. Turning to Tsunade, she tried to reason with the woman. "Tsunade-sama please don't do this! At least warn him about the necklace before he –"

"He's already accepted." Tsunade said, looking triumphant despite herself. "Whatever I'd have to say would be redundant. He's made his decision and has placed his head on the chopping block." Pausing, she narrowed her eyes as she allowed her rage to come to a boil. "Now it's time I force his words from earlier back down his throat."

In Naruto's mind, Kushina had raised a banner and had somehow managed to get Han'ishiki to produce an audience to cheer for him. _:: Naruto, listen up! I need to tell you a few things before you rush in, okay sweety? ::_

'_Kaa-san, I'm kind of in the middle of something.'_ Naruto mentally muttered.

_:: Oh, so you don't want to know why she's so confident she can take you down with one finger? 'Cause if it were anyone else, I'd say she was bluffing. ::_

**:: Come on Naruto, what's the worst a little information can do? ::**

Naruto mulled it over for a bit before frustrated gritting his teeth. _'Okay, what do you have?'_

_:: She's a professional medic, so she knows where all the weak points on the body are. If you have clusters of nerves, she'll find them and make this as painful as possible. ::_

Naruto chuckled humorously. _'Good thing I'm numb right now.'_

_:: That's not all Naruto. If she wanted to screw with your insides, she could. She may not see through your skin like Hyuuga Neji, but she's sharp enough to utilize several techniques that normally would be used only medically. ::_

'_Well…that'll hurt when the numbness wears off.'_ Naruto thought, his mind wandering to the Hinata in his head and how her heart had been bleeding out. The thought of that happening soured his mood exponentially. _'Alright then…anything else?'_

_:: Uh, oh yeah! She's mastered her chakra control to her muscles, so she basically has super strength. I've seen her crush boulders and rip through thick stone walls before. ::_

'…_please tell me you're kidding.'_

_:: Sorry, I wish I was. ::_

Naruto resisted the urge to smack himself in the face. _'That kind of information would've been good to know _before_ I thought this was a good idea!'_ Shaking his head, he focused back on Tsunade. _'Never mind, I'll just have to go faster then her. If she's using chakra to fight better, then I am too.'_

**:: Technically with your promise you were already doing that. ::**

'…_oh yeah…well I didn't know she had super strength then.'_

**:: Good point. No need getting turned to goo, right? ::**

"If you're done staring off into space kid, I suggest you focus on the fight." Tsunade said mockingly, deciding to let him attack first to show him how futile it was to fight her.

Naruto shrugged. "I was waiting for a referee since we've got people betting on us."

Tsunade growled, snapping at the people who were still gambling. "Hey! Cut me a piece of that action! Put down four thousand on the kid!"

A few people seemed shocked by this, but greedily wrote it down. Shizune on the other hand balked at the statement. "T-Tsunade-same! You're betting against yourself?"

Tsunade nodded. "I always lose, which means betting against me will mean I win. Which means there's absolutely no way I'll lose."

"The betting pool is closed now! The fight is about to begin!" One of the men shouted, getting people to back off and turn to the fight in anticipation. Looking between Tsunade and Naruto, he raised his hand into the air. "Competitors ready?" Seeing the nods, he brought his hand down. "Begin!"

* * *

AN: GAH! Must write FASTER!

Okay, so as you can see, Jiraiya is currently behind on the fight, and I'm bringing the Naruto vs. Tsunade fight into play. Also, a quick glimpse at what Akatsuki did with Tsunade. Surprised? I'm not. Plus, Kushina shows she can hijack Naruto's body. I wasn't planning on adding that, but since Han'ishiki has done it before, I figured why not?

Not much to say about this chapter, other then I _really_ hope I get through to the next chapter before I have to leave so you aren't left hanging with too many questions. Not that you won't have any, you'll just have…well more.

Next time of Word of Honor; _Strength Verse Speed._ Tsunade may be out of practice, but she still has super strength. Will Naruto's enhanced speed be enough to even land a blow? Let's hope I get the chapter out fast enough!


	32. Strength Verse Speed

Typing…pain…gah, I'll get through this arc! I swear it!

I didn't realize you guys didn't understand why I was leaving for two years. Surprisingly, an anonymous reviewer actually got it before I typed this to inform you guys. Yes, I'm Mormon, and yes, that's why I'll be gone for two years. Sorry I didn't inform you guys before.

Now that that's out of the way, onto the story.

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Word of Honor**

_Chapter 32 – Strength Verse Speed_

Itachi and Kisame sat on a rooftop, a ways away from their target. While it had been Itachi who'd decided to let Tsunade have some time to choose for herself, Kisame had figured that if she was going to have time, observing how she coped with stress would help predict how she might handle future occurrences should she join them. At the moment though, both were sitting back to observe the strange occurrence that was unfolding before them.

"I'd so put money on Tsunade if I were down there right now." Kisame muttered as he watched the two blonds banter before their 'fight' began. In Kisame's mind, it was over and done with, and would end up with Tsunade playing 'keep away' to prove whatever point had to be made.

Itachi watched passively, watching the two opponents as they squared off. "I'm not sure I'd do the same Kisame."

Kisame grinned, a new potential wager presenting itself. "Oh? Why not?"

"While Tsunade is a practiced war veteran, and would never let herself fall so low that a child would normally overcome her, there is always changing variables that could prove to be in the boy's favor." Itachi said, his mind going over what those potential variables might be.

Kisame chuckled. "Yeah right. That little runt even hitting Tsunade? You're pulling my leg."

Itachi glanced at Kisame out of the corner of his eye warily. "That is one such variable that could be Tsunade's downfall should the boy play it to his advantage. Underestimating an opponent, regardless of your conceived notions of their skill level, can be fatal in our profession.

Kisame snorted. "No kidding." A brief pause. "So you'd put money on the kid?"

"I'd put money that he'd land at least one hit. Even a graze would count considering her skill level."

"Would you wager a thousand ryo?" Kisame asked, grinning widely.

Itachi shrugged. "I suppose."

"Alright then. I say that he doesn't land one solid blow on Tsunade throughout their little match." Kisame nodded sagely. "Tsunade's gonna run circles around him."

Itachi paused, realizing that Kisame was serious about the wager. Weighing his options, he shrugged. "If that's what you want." Noting a change in the crowd, he motioned to Kisame to quiet down. "It appears as though the fight is about to begin."

Kisame leaned forward, his grin never leaving his face. "Oh good, I was getting bored."

**-xxxxx-**

Naruto wasted no time in his attack once the match started. Reaching upwards, he pulled his goggles roughly over his eyes as he rushed forwards. It was a short distance, and he figured that he'd have a moment of surprise to take advantage of before he was batted about like a rubber ball by Tsunade's super strength.

It wasn't meant to be. Tsunade, while being out of practice in practical application of her fighting prowess against other shinobi, was more then capable of following Naruto's approach. Seconds before he got to close, she pinched her finger with her thumb and brought it in front of Naruto's face. Naruto, not able to see it coming, had no time to react as Tsunade unleashed her finger and flicked him in the forehead.

To Naruto's surprise, he didn't feel the flick to his forehead, or the ground as he tumbled away. He'd had a sense of what would be going on before, like when he'd fought Kiba, or the Ichibi. Now though, he simply picked himself off the ground with a puzzled look on his face as the part of the crowd he'd nearly bowled over took another precautionary step back.

Rushing forwards again, he took care to pay more attention to what Tsunade was doing this time. While he'd been warned that she had super strength, seeing… feeling… noticing, the damage that one finger could do with just a casual strength made a believer of him. Now he had to figure out how to get around it so he didn't end up getting his butt knocked back into the crowd every time he tried to attack.

Tsunade on the other hand, gave Naruto a semi concerned look. She hadn't meant to hit him quite that hard; at least, not enough to knock him into the crowd. Yet he'd not only shaken it off, he almost looked _annoyed_, rather then injured. In her youth, she'd given Jiraiya taps that were just shy of that and had him near unconsciousness. Granted, she would hit him into a wall, but that was beside the point.

Seeing Naruto rush him again, she scoffed as she prepared to flick him again. From his demeanor, he was obviously only a genin level shinobi. Attempting the same maneuver after having seen how effective the first charge was would just end up with the same results.

As he got closer though, Naruto began running through a short string of hand seals. Barely able to recognize his movements and a few of the seals, she was caught off guard as Naruto surged forwards. Bracing herself for his attack, she waited for him to attack.

"Okay…too fast."

Tsunade's eyes widened as she whirled around. In that brief instance Naruto had disappeared from in front of her, and appeared behind her. There was a few puffs of dust from an impact of some sort, implying that Naruto wasn't fully comfortable with the technique.

Naruto cursed under his breath as he picked himself up. While he'd activated his Sokusensokketsu no Jutsu (Blitzkrieg Technique) and speed up, he'd actually found his moves jerky, and almost rusty compared to when he'd normally use the technique. He'd even tripped over his own feet when he'd rushed forwards. Attributing the change in the technique to being out of practice for over a week, he focused on Tsunade again.

"What's the matter? Can't do that little trick again?" Tsunade asked mockingly, adjusting her stance to better intercept Naruto's attack.

Naruto scoffed, hesitantly shifting about as he attempted to figure out what had gone wrong. Not able to feel anything, he remembered he had help. _'Yo, Han'ishiki. What's going on?'_

**:: You mean the 'getting your butt kicked', or the 'can't feel my legs' bit? ::**

'_Uh, second one.'_

**:: Uh…it looks like…what the heck? ::**

'_Han'ishiki?'_

**:: Let me get back to you on that. For now, just – DODGE! ::**

Reacting on the warning, Naruto bolted to the side as Tsunade brought her finger through the space he'd been in a moment before. Skipping like a stone on water across the dirt, Naruto realigned himself and dug his feet into the ground. The second he was facing Tsunade he gripped the ground with a small stream of chakra before boosting it up to let him push off it to rush Tsunade.

While Tsunade saw only a blur, she was more then capable to handle the rush. Taking a step back, she watched as the blur flew past her and skidded to a stop several meters away. "Missed."

Naruto grit his teeth, trying again to hit her. With his speed, especially the new additional speed, he was more then fast enough to beat her in terms of speed. To his surprise though, he once again missed her.

"Missed." Tsunade muttered as she watched Naruto land. Taking several long strides, she quickly stood beside him and flicked him in the forehead. Knocked back by the surprise attack, Tsunade rolled her eyes. "If this is the best you can do, you'd better quit while you're ahead."

Naruto slowly sat up, spitting out some of the dirt that had collected in his mouth. Noticing a slightly reddish tint to the dirt he paused for a second. "Huh, that's weird."

**:: Back. ::**

Naruto perked up, keeping his eyes on Tsunade. _'Han'ishiki! Please tell me you know what's going on!'_

**:: Yeah, I do. You've gone completely numb. ::** Feeling Naruto about to counter his statement, he continued. **:: No really, you could get buried alive, bite your tongue, and get struck by lightning, and you wouldn't notice a thing. ::**

Naruto froze, his thoughts not quite catching up. _'Wait, why does that sound like a bad thing?'_

**:: Because you're pushing yourself beyond your normal pain thresholds, and getting your butt knocked all over the street? ::**

'_Yeah, that would be bad.'_ Naruto mentally grumbled, gripping the ground again as he rushed forwards. He'd paid for waiting too long to attack once; he wasn't going to do it again.

Tsunade was getting really, really bored with Naruto's 'rush and pray' tactic, and decided to finish the stupid squabble. Gripping her finger again, she waited until Naruto was in range, and then jabbed him in the gut. The end result, was not at all what she expected.

Naruto's eyes widened at the change in momentum, potentially damaging something that would need a medic to fix. His body acting on reflex despite being numb, his mouth opened and let out a hacking cough. Unknown to both of them, the 'red' in the dirt Naruto had observed earlier had been blood. The previous strike had caused him to bite into his tongue, unnoticed by Naruto's-now-numbed state.

Tsunade, having not noticed the potential danger due to Naruto's lack of reaction, was given a face full of blood as Naruto was launched backwards. She stumbled back; her eyes blinking rapidly as her mind slowly began to shut down. While she'd been a great medic at one point, she'd developed hemophobia – fear of blood – shortly after the deaths of her brother and lover. Now, covered in spittle and blood, she fell to her knees as her mind finally could take no more.

Naruto, unaware of Tsunade's condition, took full advantage of Tsunade's downed state and rushed forwards once more. Becoming little more then a blur, he landed five consecutive blows before skidding back. Narrowing his eyes, he waited for a counterstrike.

During the lull in the fight, many spectators muttered in confusion. Several who'd bet big on Tsunade not getting so much as a scratch were suddenly finding their money changing hands to the – very few – people who'd bet on Naruto. While most were in shock from the turn of events, others who'd just recently stumbled onto the scene were placing bets heavily on Naruto to win.

Unaware of the stir he'd created, Naruto cocked his head to the side as he watched Tsunade. She looked really out of it, and with the pause, he noticed that she was covered in flecks of red. Curious, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully before coughing violently again. Still unable to feel the usual pain, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he slowly approached Tsunade.

As he approached, Tsunade's eyes caught the movement and took notice of Naruto's approach. Regrettably, in her current state, Tsunade found herself seeing the 'ghosts' of Nawaki and Dan – her deceased brother and lover respectively – and the shock sent a wave of adrenaline though her body. "Go away!"

Bringing her fist into the air, she smashed it against the ground and created a violent tremor through the earth. Everyone in the vicinity stumbled at the impact; Naruto in particular fell onto his rump from being too close to the epicenter of the small scale earthquake. The only one who was unaffected was Shizune, who had felt Tsunade perform similar feats before, and knew how to anticipate the strike and when to attack whoever Tsunade was fighting so they could get away. And from what she was seeing, they needed to get away _now,_ before people began to take note of how simple it was to defeat Tsunade.

Rolling up one of her sleeves, she revealed a series of senbon launchers strapped to her arm. Gripping the string attached to the ends of the launchers, she gave them a sharp tug that launched several senbon at high speeds towards Naruto. Naruto, being unaware of the threat, was struck in the shoulder, his hand, right above his knees, and through his cheek.

Naruto, noticing the new addition to his right cheek, gave it a gentle tug. The needle came free easily, and he took a moment to examine the needle before glancing at Shizune. "Uh…ow?"

Shizune slid next to Tsunade, unaware of Naruto's confusion. She gripped Tsunade's arm, attempting to get her away. Before she could however, she registered movement next to her and was forced to leap away before Naruto could strike her. Her eyes widened in surprise as she realized that, despite the paralytic poison that covered each of her senbon, he was still moving.

"Stay out of this! This is between me and her!" Naruto said with a scowl. He'd seen Shizune with Tsunade, but hadn't thought much of her presence beforehand. Now though, she had his full and undivided attention. Something that _no one_ ever had without some sort of trouble occurring shortly after.

Shizune winced, knowing she'd stepped in on what was obviously a matter of pride for Naruto. "I can't let this continue. Please forgive me, but –"

"Yeah. No." Naruto deadpanned. She just interrupted a fight, and now she thought he was going to just say okay and leave it alone? Before he could rush forwards…again, Shizune had shot another barrage of senbon at Naruto. Naruto, thinking on his feet, leapt backwards. His back colliding with a wall, he used chakra to grip and climb the wall. Within seconds, he was on the rooftop, looking down on Shizune with a determined glare; vaguely noting that Shizune had managed to push him to far away for him to get close to Tsunade fast enough without having to go through Shizune.

Noticing the blood smeared on his left hand, he wiped his cheek curiously with his right thumb. Seeing the obvious red tint of blood, Naruto had a devious, and absolutely 'Naruto worthy' idea. Going through the vaguely familiar hand seals, he slapped his hand on the rooftop. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)."

A large puff of smoke obscured the ground beneath him as a toad appeared beneath him. On the ground, Shizune's eyes widened in shock as she recognized the animal that appeared. "A toad? But that mean…Jiraiya-sama took another student?"

The toad, gripping a feathered fan that looked something like a feather duster in its webbed hand, looked around curiously. As it caught sight of Tsunade, it waved a webbed hand cheerily before glancing up at Naruto. Naruto grinned down at the toad. "Hey, can I get some help? See that dark haired girl down there?" He wobbled uncertainly as the toad nodded and raised an eyebrow. "She's kind of getting in the middle of something between me and… uh…" Leaning over the edge, he shouted down at Shizune. "It's Tsunade, right?"

Everyone in the area sweat dropped, Tsunade being a very, _very_ famous person that you knew regardless of where you were at.

When Shizune finally nodded, Naruto grinned and turned back to the toad. The toad however, held its arms in an X-shaped fashion as if trying to deny Naruto's request. Naruto huffed in frustration. "I'm not asking you to fight Tsunade, just the other girl." The toad glanced down at Shizune, tilting its head from side to side in thought. Deciding it could be much worse, it gave Naruto a hesitant thumb's up. "Awesome! Now, let's get to it."

Leaping off the roof, he barreled towards the duo with the speed that was pushing on the ridiculous. He could see absolutely nothing as he rushed forwards. Undeterred, he used the momentary pause as Shizune struggled to catch up with his movement to change direction towards Tsunade. He dodged and weaved around the senbon Shizune attempted to shoot at him until she was forced to back up when the toad finally landed next to her and swung its fan in a wide, sweeping arc. Turning her attention to the toad, she idly noted that it wasn't trying to hurt her so much as it was attempting to keep her away from Tsunade and Naruto. Undeterred, she formed several hand seals and expelled a small cloud of poison. She was silently thankful for her quick thinking, as she'd changed the form of the poison to one that wouldn't last in the air long so as to not catch any of the civilians in the crossfire, and only keep the toad at a safe distance. Much to her shock, the toad used its fan in long sweeping motions to disperse the cloud, and keep moving through, nearly knocking her over with one of its closer swings.

Naruto on the other hand, was crossing the distance between himself and Tsunade. In his right hand, he began charging his Dengeki. Unseen by all, including himself, the entirety of his arms began shooting off small burst of excess energy that had built up in his arm. Just as he ground his foot into the ground before Tsunade and began bringing his arm around to knock her out, a strange thing happened.

"Look out below!"

Jiraiya showed up…foot first into Naruto's face.

Flying across the expanse of the street and crashing into the bar Tsunade and himself had vacated earlier, Naruto was forced to draw back the chakra from his arm and blink in both shock and confusion. Recognizing the loud yelling coming from outside, he pushed himself up and slowly began storming out. He'd been interrupted twice now, and it was beyond annoying seeing as _twice_ he'd been able to finish the fight, and _twice_ he'd been intercepted. Now, he planned on 'calmly' explaining to Jiraiya what he'd interrupted.

As he stepped outside though, all form of thought process failed him. Never before had Naruto witnessed such a scarring sight, or one that would give him nightmares forevermore, as the sight of Jiraiya in his undergarments.

"…and her I find you fighting one of the most glorious examples of the female gender, you actually had the audacity to try and kill her too? What were you thinking?"

Naruto blinked, barely catching what Jiraiya had been yelling at him. Keeping his mouth shut as he silently processed what he'd heard (a harder feat then he'd ever thought possible).

"I…we made a bet." Naruto explained, speaking slowly so as to not say something stupid. Jiraiya looked beyond furious, and while he knew very little of the man, he had no desire to learn of his anger the hard way.

Jiraiya didn't look impressed by this simple statement. "What kind of bet escalates to you nearly killing her?"

Naruto shook his head; something didn't add up to him. "What do you mean 'killing her'? I was just going to knock her out!"

Jiraiya stared him in the eyes, making Naruto flinch under the scrutiny. Eventually, he turned away with a heavy sigh, looking rather annoyed. Naruto shifted nervously, unsure of what that meant for him.

Unknown to Naruto, Jiraiya was thinking like a madman to determine what had just happened. Because he – and no one else for that matter – knew of the capabilities of the Uzumaki clan, he didn't know what to think of Naruto's little stunt. Were he someone else who knew absolutely nothing about his bloodline, he might've believed that Naruto was attacking Tsunade with the intent of destroying her for some alternative purpose. With even the little he knew though, he knew it was something else.

Now the only problem was what had happened to him?

"You Uzumaki's and your secrets." Jiraiya muttered so Naruto couldn't hear him. Raising his voice slightly, he spoke to Naruto. "Doesn't it look like she's already out of it already? I mean come on, look at her!"

Naruto peaked around Jiraiya curiously. Seeing that Tsunade hadn't moved from her spot since she'd fallen to her knees, he rubbed his head sheepishly. "Wow, she's really out of it, huh? I guess that means I win."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, figuring Naruto had no idea just how big of an achievement that would be for some people. "Yeah kid, you won. Now let's get out of here before–"

Thump.

"Oi, gaki! What the hell?"

Jiraiya scrambled to Naruto's side, quickly flipping him over. Naruto stared up with startled eyes darting about. Jiraiya noticed his throat tightening like he was trying to speak, but barely heard any more then a gurgle from the back of his throat. Noting the senbon that were still stuck in him, Jiraiya hesitantly reached for them.

"Don't! They're covered with a paralyzing poison!" Shizune shouted, stopping Jiraiya from nearly pricking himself with the senbon.

Jiraiya shook his head, becoming more and more confused by the sudden turn of events that surrounded Naruto. As he straightening up he turned to confront Tsunade, whom he'd been tracking since he'd been given his mission. As he did so though, his eyes caught sight of two ladies in the crowd who were trying to slowly back away. He squinted at them, his mind slowly pulling the pieces together before he recognized them. "Oi! You're the two who stole my clothes! Give'm back!"

The two women yelp, turning tail and running for all they were worth. They wouldn't last long against a man who'd trained by running from enraged women who were _far_ faster then a terrified women, but it was a valiant effort nothing the less.

This left poor Shizune to stare after him in confusion for a moment, as her mind slowly processed what she'd seen. Having seen worse, she simply sighed and moved to help Tsunade back to their room. Before she got too far, she was tapped on the shoulder by a rather large finger. Turning in confusion, she realized the toad was still there, motioning to Naruto's prone form.

Under normal circumstances, she might've simply left him for what he'd done, and apparently tried to do. However, since he could summon toads, he was likely a new apprentice to Jiraiya, which meant he'd eventually come looking for him, and she could finally have a shot of convincing Tsunade to return to Konoha. With a heavy sigh, she motioned for the toad to pick up Naruto and follow her.

It was going to be a long night.

The crowd of people, mostly traumatized by Jiraiya's shocking appearance, slowly began to begin collecting their money before dispersing. On the rooftop Naruto had once stood, two figures warily stared down at the destruction the small scale fight had done to the area.

"Impressive for a little kid." Kisame muttered under his breath. While nothing quite like himself or Zabuza, from what he could tell the kid had a mean streak that had seemed to expand as the fight had continued. Had it continued, he was rather certain that Tsunade might've actually been pulverized. "What do you think that technique he was going to use to finish her was?"

"I don't know." Itachi muttered, his eyes closed as he recounted the events that had just transpired. As his eyes opened, they narrowed in what could have passed for concern. "However, I wouldn't recommend attempting to recreate it any time soon. The way he built up the chakra was far too unstable. Had he released it, he might have just as likely blown off his own arm as destroyed Tsunade."

Kisame whistled under his breath. "Wow, that's some attack. Sounds like something that Deidara might do; only we can reattach a new arm if he were to lose one. The kid would've been stuck as a one armed shinobi." Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he grumbled. "Man, I wish we fight him. Heh, even recruiting him sounds like it would be a pretty cool option right about now."  
"We will...eventually."

Kisame paused, grinning at Itachi. "Oh, so _he's_ our second target eh?"

Itachi nodded, his eyes not leaving Tsunade as Shizune slowly led her away. Slowly, he began to follow. "For now, we'll focus on our first target. This fight has given me the final piece of leverage we need to resolve this peacefully."

"Che, figures." Kisame said as he followed after Itachi. "Whoever said 'diplomacy never wins' obviously never met you Itachi."

**-xxxxx-**

Shizune rubbed her eyes wearily, resisting the urge to yawn. After going through quite a bit of trouble simply attempting to get Tsunade to return with her to their hotel room to wash up, she'd then had to deal with the manager who tried to get her to run off the toad carrying Naruto. Only after she'd explained that it wasn't going to stay did the manager calm down and let it go. And _then_ she had to deal with Naruto.

Naruto, unable to move due to the paralytic toxin being extracted by Shizune, turned inwards for conversation. _'Han'ishiki? You mind telling me what happened?'_

**:: Didn't I already explain that already? ::**

Naruto felt his eyebrow twitch, noting a slightly whiney tone to how his subconsciousness had spoken. _'Yeah, but I'd like to hear it when I'm _not_ trying to avoid being pulverized.'_

**:: Sure thing boss. Look, I can't tell you any more then I know or think, and I only **_**think**_** I know what's going on. ::**

'…_and?'_

**:: All your problems are happening because of the Kyuubi. ::**

Naruto stared at the ceiling, slowly digesting this information. The Kyuubi was influencing him? But why now, and why was it doing something like making him numb? His eyes widened slightly as he remembered Jiraiya unsealing the seal that had been placed over the Kyuubi's seal. _'Wait, so it can influence me now? That might've been good information to know sooner!'_

**:: No, it's not 'influencing you'...uh, well not directly. Your chakra's are mixing, and the mixed chakra is making your bloodline react in a different way then it did when you were just using your chakra normally. ::**

Naruto growled, startling Shizune before turning inwards again. _'What kind of differences? I just got used to the other way of using my bloodline!'_

**:: …I'll get back to you on that. I'm going to ask the Kyuubi, and see if it can shed any insight for us. ::**

Naruto grunted, absently noting that he could finally begin to move his jaw again. Shizune, noting the change, sighed happily. "Oh good, you're able to move again."

Naruto glared at her, resisting the urge to see what else he could move to hit her with. "What'd ya hit me wif?" Naruto asked, grimacing at his slurred speech. "Wat's goin on?"

Shizune sighed, noticing the look she was getting. "I use a special paralytic to keep people who seek Tsunade and myself away without permanently bringing harm to them." Translation: Tsunade had her make it to keep people debt collectors at bay. Looking over Naruto, she shook her head in confusion. "It's never taken this long to take effect though. People generally go down for several hours with just one senbon; you took four and shrugged it off."

Naruto tried to shrug, but found his shoulder still unresponsive. Scowling, he muttered under his breath. "I looks lik ith workin now."

Shizune nodded, running a hand encased in green light over his chest as she looked for the poison. She'd found the poison running through his veins, acting just as it should when she'd examined him. Despite this fact, she still couldn't determine how Naruto had managed to move about with the poison in his body. Medically speaking, it was a phenomenon that she'd never heard of before.

Pausing for a moment, she slowly traced a small trace of poison she'd found. To her surprise, it appeared on his navel, and the trace amounts seemed to actually follow a pattern. While patterns weren't uncommon in how poisons affected the body, the fact that the poison in Naruto's body was localized primarily in an odd spiral around his stomach was rather strange.

Off to the side, Tsunade stared at Naruto as Shizune treated him. She was still somewhat disgruntled by Naruto's 'victory' as she tentatively called it. Sure, he'd used a dirty, rotten, despicably underhanded method, but as a shinobi it was expected to utilize whatever method they could get their hands on. Still, it made her twinge at the memory, and the thought that he'd somehow learned of her weakness from Jiraiya. For someone who'd normally been so loyal, it was difficult to paint him in such a dark light.

While she didn't have a track record for keeping her debts, she'd decided to let the kid off easy. Throwing a portion of the bet on a whim by punching him with her full fist had been meant to give him some money when he lost and was forced to quit his shinobi career. At least then, he'd have something to live off of until he found something else to do. And besides that, whoever else received it would succumb to the 'curse' and she'd wind up finding and reclaiming it.

Instead, she was forced to face a new dilemma. If she lived up to her end of the bargain, she'd end up returning to the place that had brought her so much misery.

"_Hypocrite."_

Tsunade flinched at the surprisingly stinging words. Despite wanting to avoid thinking of his words, the entirety of the conversation had come back to her and she couldn't help but wince. She'd basically told him he needed to learn how to 'suck it up' and get over it. When she remembered the look in his eyes, she figured he was either the best actor Konoha could afford to send, or had been genuinely concerned about the girl he'd come to ask her to heal. And if there had been someone to heal Nawaki and Dan, she was rather certain she'd have done the same.

Then again, people had told her that she was the 'greatest medic', yet when it had come to saving those who were close to her she'd been completely unable to save them.

Taking a step back, she slowly retreated to the hall, moving silently so as to not disturb Shizune and Naruto. She almost stumbled across a small row of briefcases that had been lined up near the doorway, but managed to catch herself and sneak around them into the hall. Had she thought to ask why the briefcases were there, or what was in them, she would've been in for quite the shock. Her little bet on Naruto had turned up quite a large profit; from four thousand to somewhere over forty thousand, since she'd been one of the few who'd initially bet on Naruto to win.

For her, winning at any kind of gambling event meant there was something bad coming her way.

Sadly, she was blissfully unaware of this, and began making her way towards the bar to grab another couple of drinks. Halfway there, she remembered that Naruto had been kicked through it, and that it would likely be completely cleared out until it was fixed up again. Cursing Naruto for destroying her outlet for frustration, she turned to look for another bar wherein she could drown her sorrows.

Before she got far, she paused. "Are you going to just sit there, or are you going to come down and talk to me Itachi?"

After a couple of seconds, Itachi and Kisame dropped from the rooftop they'd been sitting on. "How long have you known we were there Tsunade-sama?"

"Since you started trailing me two days ago." Tsunade replied, her eyes narrowed in obvious suspicion. "What do you want now?"  
"Kisame and I just so happen to know of a bar nearby." Itachi replied, getting Tsunade's attention. "Also, we have a proposition for you. We can help you overcome your fear of blood, before it becomes a problem in a battle."

Tsunade frowned, slowly crossing her arms in a defensive stance. If they'd offered before, she would've turned them down with a scoff thinking she'd be able to handle it when it truly mattered. After this particularly battle though, her eyes were forced violently wide open.

"Alright then, I'm listening."

* * *

AN: That's a wrap for this chapter.

…what? Did you think Naruto would win because he was skilled? Please, give me some credit here. Naruto only won because Tsunade underestimated him, pitied him, and has a crippling fear of blood. It didn't help Naruto any that his bloodline is now getting screwed with due to the Kyuubi's chakra. All you with the insight should be able to guess what that could potentially mean for Naruto, and even the negative effects that could come from being completely numb.

Plus, Jiraiya's appearance pretty much traumatized everyone. I can now check that off my to-do list.

This chapter also allowed Itachi and Kisame to have a bit more chapter time...'cause they're awesome, and deserve some time. A bit of allusion, and now I'm off to the next chapter. Wish me luck.

Next time on Word of Honor; _The Broken Path_. Itachi makes an offer to Tsunade, one which will change how she views her path for the rest of her life.


	33. The Broken Path

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Word of Honor**

_Chapter 33: The Broken Path_

The bar they entered was a small, out of the way place that wouldn't have attracted too much attention to anyone looking in from the streets. Considering Itachi's personality, it matched him only too well.

Tsunade sat down – looking like she'd almost thrown herself into seat – and quickly ordered a bottle of sake. Itachi didn't bother commenting on her current state, simply setting himself across from her and ordering some tea. He didn't wish to be encumbered by the sake while he tried to convince Tsunade. That, and a healthy dose of respect.

Kisame on the other hand, had no such resignation. "Wow, you'd think you were desperate for a drink the way you practically threw yourself into your chair."

"Bite me." Tsunade muttered, looking for the waiter that would be bringing her bottle.

"Would you prefer to wait for our drinks, or would you rather I begin telling you how I can be of service?" Itachi asked, looking over the twitching woman before him.

"What? Oh yeah, go ahead and talk, I'm still listening." She said, her eyes never leaving the door.

Itachi sighed at her somewhat dismissive tone. "Very well. I'll get straight to the point then. Whether you wish to admit it or not, your fear of blood is going to get you killed someday. Most likely by fools luck rather then by skill."

Tsunade rolled her eyes at the accusation. "Right. Do you really think some half trained fool will be able to get the drop on me?"

"The boy did. Without the intervention of Jiraiya, he was about to kill you."

That shut Tsunade up. Taking a moment of silence, she eventually tore her gaze from the door and turned her focus completely on Itachi and Kisame. "Alright. You said you have a…proposition for me."

"I actually spoke with our leader regarding the plan, and he has given his approval." Itachi tented his hands under his chin, a shadow of a smirk crossing his face. "We will cure your fear of blood, if you will return to Konoha."

The shock on Tsunade's face was priceless. The rage that quickly followed, was more likely to break something priceless. "Excuse me?"

Itachi shrugged off her rage as though it were inconsequential. "You heard me, similar to how I know that you made a bet with the boy to heal his friend. Who just so happens to be in Konoha. All we're asking is that you stay."

"And why in the world would you want me to stay?" Tsunade asked, her fingers digging into the wood of the table before her.

Itachi sighed, not sure how to put it lightly to Tsunade. Deciding to go for broke, he gave her a rather hard stare. "There is going to be a Fourth Great Shinobi War."

Had anyone else heard what he'd said, the bar likely would have gone completely silent at his statement. As it was, Itachi had placed a subtle genjutsu over their table to prevent eavesdroppers. For Tsunade though, it struck exactly where it was meant to. She stared at Itachi, seemingly seeking out some kind of gesture to make out whether or not he was lying to her or not. Itachi's face showed no deceit – or anything else for that matter – and she slowly sunk back into her chair. She had bad memories of the Second and Third Great Shinobi war, having left the village close to the end of the Third War, and to hear that there was yet another war on the horizon made her blood freeze in her veins.

Thinking over this out of the blue new info, she hesitantly spoke again. "How long do you think it'll be?"

Itachi shook his head. "Between three and five years. With the way power has shifted recently, I'd lean closer to three."

Tsunade frowned, trying to think of what could possibly spark the powder keg that would start the war. Uncertain of what it could be with all the recent events, she decided to see just how up front Itachi would be with this information. "What could possibly be the trigger?"

Itachi shook his head. "Tsunade-sama, while it would likely be a great boon to you, I cannot simply give you that information freely. What I've told you already could compromise everything we've been working for."

"And what is that?" Tsunade asked.

Itachi mulled over the pro's and con's of telling Tsunade what their plans were, and eventually decided. "Are you willing to take us up on our offer then?"

Tsunade frowned, not amused by his change of the subject. "It hasn't been a week yet."

Itachi shrugged. "No, it hasn't. But the only way I could give you even a glimmer of what we're doing is to make you a probationary member." Noting Tsunade's confused look, he explained. "Our leader has called us on a new assignment, and we won't be able to stay for the allotted time if we wish to complete it within the desired window. And, since it's true you haven't had a week to contemplate your decision, we'll have to settle for making you a 'probationary member'. You'll be let in on more of what we're planning on doing, but won't be actively required to follow missions others will be given. This will give you an opportunity to maintain your image once you return to Konoha."

Tsunade shook her head. "Okay, why in Kami's name would do you want me to go back to Konoha? And don't say you can't tell me I can't know, 'cause this is unrelated to me being a member."

"That is true Tsunade-sama." Itachi said, tapping a finger against the table. "The simplest way of putting this would be to tell you that our organization doesn't wish to see pointless casualties in the coming war. If they can be saved, we want them to have the capability to do so." Raising the finger he'd been tapping the table with, he pointed to Tsunade. "You are the greatest medic Konoha has ever had. What we desire is for you to return and teach Konoha the more human side of the shinobi life. It's boring, and tedious, but it will save more lives that way."

Tsunade stared at Itachi, her mind attempting to go over everything he'd said. While it was sound reasoning, the way the truth of it seemingly blindsided her caused her to shut down for a moment. Not even the waiter returning with her sake broke her from her trance as she thought over what he'd told her.

Finally, she straightened up, gripped the sake bottle, chugged down a little over half of it, and slammed it down onto the table. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she slowly spoke.

"Let's say I don't think you're crazy. Just say, I accept both offers. Why would two S-ranked criminals known for mass genocide want me too save people's lives?"

Itachi and Kisame shared a brief look. Kisame, getting the vibe that Itachi wanted him to answer, sighed. "Fine, I'll tell her." Leaning across the table, he grinned widely as he spoke. "We're the 'bad guys' because the 'good guys' needed one."

Tsunade blinked in confusion. "Say what?"

Kisame leaned back with a smirk, placing his hands behind his head contently as he turned away. "I ain't repeating myself. I know you heard me, but you're gonna have to figure out for yourself what I meant."

Tsunade frowned, not liking the veiled answer. Seeing she wasn't going to get anything further from the blue man, she returned her attention to Itachi. "Okay…so you're trying to save people. I guess that's good enough for me." She rolled her hand as she continued with a trace of sarcasm in her voice. "Now, where do I sign my soul over too?"

Itachi didn't react to the sarcasm, simply reaching into his robe and pulled out a small bracelet. Upon closer inspection, one could see it was a perfectly smooth, light green stone with the kanji 'i'; its meaning ranging from 'greatness' to 'stomach' and even 'doctor'. The bracelet itself was rather unassuming; the only difference between some cheap knockoff she'd seen was that the band was made rather similarly to the ring that Itachi wore on his ring finger.

Pausing with the bracelet in hand, he softly spoke. "If you wish to back out now, this would be the time. When you become a member of Akatsuki, you become a member for life. Once this bracelet is in place, you'll be unable to remove it."

"Great," Tsunade said cheerily as she shoved her arm forwards. "That just means I won't lose it."

Itachi nodded, gently gripping her wrist in his hand. Tsunade watched warily as Itachi firmly strapped the bracelet to her wrist. When he was done, she looked it over with a critical gaze. "Okay, that's the 'joining' part. Now how are you going to cure my fear of blood?"

Itachi motioned for her to return her gaze to him. As her eyes made contact with his own, his Sharingan began to slowly spin. As it increased speed, Kisame noticed Tsunade tensing in apprehension of whatever genjutsu Itachi was placing on her. After several moments of silence, Itachi broke their stare off and began sipping his tea. "Feel better Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade nodded slowly, looking like she'd had too much blood rush to her head. "I-I think so. What was that you just did?"

"I placed a genjutsu on your mind, so that it would override your body's initial response to shut down when you see blood." Itachi responded, noting how Tsunade was subtly checking herself with several medical ninjutsu. "While you could have done this with your own medical skills, it would have left a lasting mark that could have scarred your psyche to the point of being eternally petrified of blood. I simply created a shortcut that could only be performed by the Sharingan."

Tsunade leaned back, laughing lightly to herself. It seemed so surreal that a simple genjutsu was the answer to her problems, and yet here it was. With a small smile, she gave Itachi a short bow in her seat. "Thank you Itachi."

Itachi turned his eyes to the bracelet, motioning to his own ring. "Our leader will contact you later this week to fill in whatever you feel you'll need to know. Should you have to contact him with information, simply channel chakra into your bracelet and it will do the rest." As he stood up to leave, he paused and gave Tsunade one last poignant stare. "And do be careful that your assistant doesn't discover your conversations. She may not be quite as understanding as yourself."

Tsunade nodded, lightly sipping on her sake. As Itachi and Kisame got out of earshot, Kisame bumped Itachi discreetly. "Okay, what just happened? I totally saw those little 'nervous gestures' you did in there, and that was totally not you. You pulled something back there, and I wanna know what you did."

Itachi's expression didn't convey any annoyance at how Kisame had decided to approach the topic as he replied, "I was simply casting a few further genjutsu's that would be covered by the final illusion I placed upon her. Since she was in turmoil, she likely didn't even notice the illusions."

Kisame smirked. "So, what do they do?"

"I simply applied a weave into her appearance genjutsu so that whenever she saw blood, regardless of the circumstances, she would become more secure in her belief that what we are doing for the betterment of the Shinobi Nations. There were also a few others that would help her see higher positions of power as ways to further her mission to enhance the medical section of Konoha. If I'd simply placed one on her, she might break it whenever some fool attempts to catch her in their own genjutsu."

"Alright that sounds fair." Kisame said, raising an eyebrow subtly. "But how can she believe what we haven't told her."

"She believed what we told her now. The rest will fall into place when the time is right."

Kisame nodded. "Okay, that makes sense. But why are we leaving now? Shouldn't we go and check out the kid?"

"He's too young to recruit right now, to green. He hasn't yet seen the true dark side of the world." Itachi muttered, a shadow cast in his eyes as though remembering things better forgotten. "Once he has, he'll see the village for what it truly is, and then we'll speak to him. Then, and only then, will we approach him."

Kisame mulled it over for a brief moment before shrugging and moving on. If Itachi said it would work, it was very likely it would work. After all, if he could pull several genjutsu onto a Sannin without them noticing, then there was certainly some faith to be placed in said illusions. Now, only time would show how loyal Tsunade would become.

**-xxxxx-**

Tadao sat upon a rooftop overlooking the village in a meditative position. After the Chunin Exams, he'd found that all of his plans were for naught, and that he didn't have nearly enough information to proceed further in bringing Izo and his friends into the light.

Despite everything he'd gone through, Tadao was firmly determined to expose Izo. He'd seen what he was planning, and he knew his hands were already stained with the blood of people Izo had wanted out of the way. Despite this, he figured that if anyone had a shot in the dark at stopping him, he had it.

He let a heavy sigh escape him as he formed a familiar hand seal, both hands connecting into a box-like shape. With it, he began projecting his chakra onto the inhabitants of Konoha. Almost immediately, like a wave of energy, he felt everyone who was encompassed by his 'box'.

He grimaced as he felt his chakra duck in and out. While many others had found this technique to be rather addictive, and abused its abilities, he had not. It made him feel rather disgusted to know that he was popping in and out of people's lives and discovering things that even those close to them would be faint to know of.

Focusing further, he began searching for the minds that would empty themselves despite being completely unable to feel his presence. It had startled him when he'd discovered these people a year earlier, but upon the discovery had quickly learned that there was more to those people then met the eye. Like how they'd all eventually congregate in a single area; one of the major Ne bases.

It didn't take as long to find them as he'd expected. If anything, it was easy to find them. As he washed over them, he realized that the reason he'd found them so easily was because they were traveling in a squad; four, maybe five members in all traveling at high speeds. Even stranger was that they seemed to be arcing around the retirement district, as though they were stalking someone.

Almost as soon as he'd realized where they were, another, more familiar presence made itself known to him. Smiling behind his mask despite the oddness of this particular presence opening the connection he'd made years previous, he returned the call casually, dropping his hands to his sides as he leaned back to look at the stars.

_'Yuudai! How nice of you to drop in.'_ Tadao said in a mentally cheerful voice. _'What's up?'_

_'We're coming. Run.'_

Tadao blinked for a couple of seconds, letting the words sink into his mind. Then, like a thunderbolt, realization dawned on him and he scrambled off the roof. Leaping into the alley beneath him, he bolted as quickly as he could into the secret tunnel he'd made for whenever he'd need to leave the city quickly. He'd never thought he'd ever have to use it, yet here he was.

Several moments later, Yuudai and a small group of people – all with some form of cover over the top or bottom half of their faces – landed where he'd once stood. Almost immediately afterwards, the Ne strike team landed on the rooftop adjacent to them, their blank masks making them appear eerie in the darkened light.

"What happened?" The lead Ne operative asked.

Yuudai scowled, taking a momentary sniff of the area around him. "He's not here. He must've gotten wind of our approach."

"I thought he wasn't a tracker." The lead Ne operative said, sounding borderline suspicious.

Yuudai fixed a dark glare onto the man. "We told you he wasn't a great tracker. Considering the kinjutsu he's recently picked up though, he might've gained a deeper grasp of how to track people." He clenched his hand into a fist, lightly drawing blood. "For him to have gotten such a grasp on it with so little time though means he's been practicing behind our backs."

"Were he not a civilian, we could have a squad of shinobi sent out to apprehend him. As it stands currently though, it would be unlikely that the shinobi council would approve of sending anyone out unless they were given further details; like how he got a hold of such a kinjutsu."

"We'll track him down for you, if that's what you're asking." Yuudai said, getting a nod in response. With a curt nod, he spoke again. "Then return to Danzo and report. We'll take it from here."

The Ne members gave a short salute before taking off into the wind. Besides him, he felt several members of his own squad shifting nervously. "Uh, Yuudai-senpai? Just who are we tracking down?"

Yuudai grunted wearily, projecting a tired state of mind to the rest of the group. "Tadao." He noticed several members eyes widen, turning to each other with surprised glances. "So you've heard of him?"

"If you're talking about Yamanaka Tadao, then yeah, we've heard of him." One of the younger members said, his eyes glancing from Yuudai to anywhere that wasn't him. "I heard you two were good friends."

Yuudai shrugged, turning his attention to the air around him as he took another small whiff of the air. "We were comrades in arms, nothing more." Noting there desire to pursue the matter, he sharply barked at them. "This is NOT the time to be asking personal questions! Now get to work, unless you want him to get away."

The mad scramble and light colliding of bodies was just enough to amuse Yuudai before he reopened his connection with Tadao. _'You clear yet?'_

_'Yeah, just barely. Thanks for the warning man, I owe you one.'_

_'Don't thank me just yet, there's still some stuff I need you to do.'_ Yuudai said, letting his eyes wander the wall of the city.

_'Heh, just ask away boss man, I'll do whatever you need done.'_

Yuudai smirked behind his cloth mask. _'That's what I was hoping you'd say. Head over to the nearest Uchiha safe house. Contact me when you get there.'_

_'Uchiha safe house? What's the plan?'_

Yuudai crouched down, pulling his mask down to better take in the smells of the Ne operatives that had been sent after Tadao. As he did so, he also revealed two red triangle marks on either cheek; markings of a member of the Inuzuka clan.

_'It's the same as the old plan. Stop Izo from destroying Konoha from the inside out.'_

**-xxxxx-**

When Tsunade returned from the bar, she stumbled across a rather curious sight in her hotel room. Now, she'd seen some rather odd sights flirt through the many hotels she'd been too, and had seen many more throughout her life. Still, in that moment, after her conversation with Itachi, this was a rather strange thing to return to.

When she'd opened the door, the first thing she'd heard was someone cursing loudly. It was a man's voice, and was too deep to have been Naruto's. It was also vaguely familiar, but her buzzed mind couldn't quite place it. Along with that voice, she distinctly heard Shizune trying to talk in a placating, calm manner that was usually reserved for when she was too drunk to see straight and was angry at something or another. The final sound was the strangest still. It sounded like someone attempting to shout something – likely curses similar to the first voice – but was muffled by something.

When she actually entered the room, the sight was enough to make her pause. Jiraiya, long time teammate and bothersome ally, to part time friend, was standing in the middle of her room cursing like a mad man. Off to the side was Shizune, trying desperately to be the diplomat in the craziness that was unfolding. The truly strange part though, was Naruto.

Naruto had somehow managed to attach him mouth around Jiraiya's arm. Jiraiya, having regained his clothes, appeared annoyed at the young man hanging from his arm; the only think keeping his arm safe being the decorative arm guards that were surprisingly fulfilling their purpose. For someone so small, he appeared like a pit bull, growling and doing whatever he could to dig his teeth further into the arm guard his mouth was on. Having not quite yet recovered from the paralytic poison, while his jaw was apparently fine, the rest of his body was flying through the air as Jiraiya violently shook said arm in an attempt to get him off.

Tsunade to a moment to memorize this moment to laugh at later before clearing her throat loudly. It had an immediate effect on Jiraiya and Shizune, who both seemed to snap to attention at the subtle threat that was constantly carried in her voice. Naruto on the other hand, didn't notice the threat and continued growling at Jiraiya. This was shortly after silenced as Jiraiya jabbed him in the forehead, causing Naruto to yelp and fall to the floor in a heap.

This time, Tsunade did laugh lightly at Naruto's misfortune. Naruto, still obvious to Tsunade's presence, yelled at Jiraiya. "Get back here coward! I'll bite your legs off!"

"Gaki, shut it." Jiraiya tried to discreetly mutter out the corner of his mouth before addressing Tsunade. "Tsunade-hime (princess)! How have you been?"

"Better then you I see." Tsunade said with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you swore off apprentices after your last one."

"Bah, I never said that! I just said I would pick ones that needed me for longer!" Jiraiya said, puffing out his chest heartily. "And with a block head like this, I'll be here to stay for a long, long time."

"I heard that Ero-sennin."

"Shut it gaki."

Tsunade shook her head, amazed by how easily Jiraiya was able to bring old memories back to the surface just by being in the same room as him. Truly, he hadn't grown up at all since she'd last seen him. With a dismissive hand gesture, she slowly eased herself into a chair; watching with some amusement as Shizune took that as her cue to try and get the rest of the poison out of Naruto.

"Why are you here Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked, deciding to get straight to the point.

While not unexpected, Jiraiya's shift from goofy to serious always took her a moment to get used to. "Sarutobi-sensei is dead."

Tsunade's eyes widened, slowly leaning into her chair. With a shaky sigh, she slowly spoke. "How long?"

"A little more then two weeks." Jiraiya said, his eyes unable to meet Tsunade's. "We were invaded, and he ended up fighting the grand orchestrator."

"Who?" It was a stupid question, seeing as there was only one person she knew of who might've done something like that. Still, it was worth asking to see who else might've been crazy enough.

"Orochimaru." Just as she expected. As she was about to speak again, she was surprised to find Jiraiya continuing. "He's apparently formed his own village; Otogakure. He allied with Suna and attacked during the recent Chunin Exam."

Tsunade nodded, her mind processing this new information. After thinking it over, it wouldn't have made sense if he'd gone in alone. Obviously he'd gotten help. To hear that Suna – a former ally – had betrayed them, stung a bit more then she'd thought it might.

Jiraiya let the information sink in, noting the way she mentally regained her balance, before speaking again. "We elected that you be the next Hokage."

Caught flatfooted, she paused as she stared at Jiraiya. "You must be joking."

"I told them you wouldn't accept." Jiraiya said with a casual shrug, looking as though he'd already written her off as a lost cause. "I mean, you won't even go back to Konoha, why would you become Hokage?"

"Oi, lift me up!" Naruto suddenly yelled, his right leg suddenly moving about wildly. "I wanna say something!"

Tsunade waited for a moment as Shizune dodged Naruto's wild leg as she lifted Naruto to a seated position. "Well, what do you have to say?"

"You're gonna live up to your end of the bet…right?"

Tsunade blinked, having totally forgotten the bet in the chaos of the fight and the Akatsuki talk. Thinking she'd have a bit of fun, she gave him a bored stare. "Maybe. What would you do if I didn't."

To her surprise, Naruto's gaze darkened as he slowly spoke. "I would hunt you down until my last breath, and _drag you_ back to Konoha if I had to. I swear if you don't keep your word and return to Konoha, you'll regret it."

Naruto's eyes subtly shined a light blue that seemed in contrast with his current state. Filing that away for later, Tsunade sat back and smirked. "Well, then I guess it's a good thing I'd already decided to keep my end of the bet."

Naruto brightened, shifting from his dark aura completely. "Good!"

"Really Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked, looking rather chipper at this news.

"Say what?" Jiraiya looked between Naruto and Tsunade in confusion. He'd expected an epic clash, being in pain that made his memory go fuzzy, and then taking it as inspiration for three or four chapters of his next book. This…this was too tame. "Did I miss something?"

"Not at all. The boy here is simply a better orator then you ever were." Tsunade replied, looking brightly as she stood and left the room.

Jiraiya paused, his mind whirling in thought. "If I changed the meaning of that….oh, that's good." He wiped his pen and pad out and began writing, giggling from time to time as the inspiration flowed through him.

Off to the side, Naruto glanced at Shizune. "I'm confused."

Shizune sighed, turning her focus to the poison still consolidated around Naruto's stomach as she spoke. "Tsunade-sama lost some of the people closest to her, and she hasn't really gotten over their loss. You remember how you called her out in the bar? Well, that's why she was so angry; the wounds are still fresh in her mind. Worse yet is that she believes, and many agree, that their deaths were because she gave them the Shodai Hokage's necklace; that the necklace is cursed."

"I already kinda knew that…thought I didn't know that about the necklace." Naruto said, muttering the last part. "What I'm confused on is what an 'orator' is, and why Jiraiya-sensei is giggling about it."

Shizune paused. "An orator? It's basically a person who gives speeches. As for why Jiraiya-sama is giggling about it." She blushed, turning away from Naruto as her own mind strayed down the path Jiraiya's had long since fallen down. "I think it'd be best to tell you when you're older."

"Aw man." Naruto muttered.

"Oi, gaki!" Tsunade said, peeking back into the room. "I almost forgot, this is yours."

Unable to move his arms yet, Naruto received the Shodiame's necklace right between his eyes as Tsunade threw it at him. It slid off his face and landed in his lap, causing Naruto to grumble as he moved his right leg in an attempt to get it. Cursed or not, it was his, and he wanted it.

Upon noticing Naruto's dilemma, Shizune spoke up. "Here, let me." She reached down and picked it up, holding it in front of Naruto cautiously. "Are you sure you want this?"

Naruto shrugged with his left shoulder. "Yeah sure. I mean, I won it fair and square, didn't I?"

"That may be true, but the curse is very, very real. If I give this too you, you could be cursed." Shizune said, biting her lip as she remembered how the necklace had destroyed Tsunade.

Naruto shrugged again. "So what? If I'm cursed by it, then I'll just have to prove that there is no curse by living. And that's not really that hard, is it?"

"Yes it is hard!" Shizune said, memories of running from town to town with Tsunade flirting through her mind. "You don't know how hard it can be."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Like that's stopped me before."

"Come on, keep talking."

Naruto and Shizune glanced over at Jiraiya in confusion. Said man was scribbling like a man possessed, and had a bit of drool running from the corner of his mouth to his chin. Shizune, the only one of the two who could actually understand what Jiraiya had heard, turned a rosy red. "J-Jiraiya-sama!"

"What? What did I miss?" Naruto asked, his head snapping between the two.

Shizune shook her head. "N-nothing N-Naruto-san. Jiraiya-sama is simply taking things out of context."

Naruto tilted his head as Jiraiya's scribbling picked up pace. While it was obvious where Jiraiya's mind had gone, what he was writing down and giggling about were not. With a heavy sigh, Naruto shook his head. "…I still don't get it."

**-xxxxx-**

Aoi grinned madly as he raced through the forest. It had taken a bit to get a sanctioned mission outside of Amegakure no Sato, without drawing too much attention from Hanzo. He'd heard the bell ring over a week ago, and had begun making his move.

Now, within the border of Hi no Kuni, he was safe enough to determine what Orochimaru needed, and where the prize he'd offered him would be. Landing in a clearing, he quickly pulled the scroll open and threw it in front of himself. He'd peaked inside already, and knew what the first part of whatever Orochimaru's scheme was.

As he thought, the scroll let out a burst of smoke that obscured his vision as it summoned something.

"[censored], what took you so long [censored]?"

Or someone.

"Tayuya, you should really watch your language."

_Two_ someone's?

"Shut your mouth [censored], I can talk however I [censored] want!"

"Tayuya, save it for later."

A third voice. Aoi groaned inwardly as he realized this wouldn't be as easy as he thought. _'Great, just great.'_

From the midst of the smoke, four figures stepped forwards. The first was a redhead woman with some kind of hat on her head, a robe, and a purple rope around her waist. The second was a more oversized man, with a partial orange Mohawk. The third man was…odd, seeing as he had six arms. The final guy was a sickly looking teen, with an odd lump on the back of his neck and purple hair.

The final guy spoke up, his voice the third one he'd heard. "Greetings Aoi-san, Orochimaru informed us that you'd be calling us soon."

Aoi narrowed his eyes. "Okay, so you work for Orochimaru. Then you'll be able to tell me what he wants me to do, right?"

"Of course." The final guy said with a smirk. A second later, all three of his companions began smirking with him.

Aoi felt a small shiver run down his spine. He felt…excited. "Well then?"

"Orochimaru gave us the location of a shrine that holds the sealed armor of Uchiha Madara; an armor that makes the user invincible unless faced with the armor of the Shodai Hokage. In return, you will lead us to Konoha's prison facility."

"What's at the prison?" Aoi asked, curious despite his glee at the thought of getting his hands on an invincible armor.

"Many things I suppose. Their purpose… I'll leave that to your imagination." The sickly teen said, chuckling lightly as he moved sideways and motioned Aoi forwards. "Lead the way."

* * *

AN: Yeah…this'll be fun if I can get to it.

So yeah...Tsunade joined Akatsuki…and I'm still going to get her to go back to Konoha. Why? Well, I just explained it. In fact, that was probably the most straightforward speech anyone's given in my story thus far. Cool. Itachi makes things totally awesome...even if he is the guy with the most backup plans I've ever heard of. Seriously, who else has multiple backup plans like he does? (If anyone says Madara, I'm going to laugh, 'cause he does NOT have a backup plan...not like mine anyway)

A tiny glimpse of Tadao, since he obviously couldn't go unpunished. Getting caught wasn't part of my plan, so there'll be more of him. And if you don't know what his special kinjutsu is…I swore I was more bluntly obvious this time.

And Aoi's getting into trouble. Bet you didn't see that connection when I said 'mysterious power' huh? Of course…things never work out quite as planned. (wink, wink)

Oh, and yes, I'm censoring Tayuya. Don't question my judgement on this...trust me.

Next time on Word of Honor; _Setting Things Straight._ Tsunade returns and sets several things in order, including the hospital, and the new chunin's (insert fanfare here).


	34. Healing and Promotions

Good news and bad new people. The bad news, I just found out the papers I'd submitted before I posted the chapter with the 2 year hiatus warning, didn't get sent in when I thought they did. The good news, is that they got submitted last week. Which means I have a month or so to keep writing before I'm unable to write any more. And considering how fast I write, I might actually get out several chapters before I leave. As such, enjoy some more Word of Honor!

Oh, and check out my other story; Naruto Shippuden: Desert Assassin. I appreciate the people who've currently read it over and reviewed, and would be grateful if even some of you gave your thoughts on it. Thanks.

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Word of Honor**

_Chapter 34: Healing and Promotions_

Tsunade took a deep breath of the crisp forest air as they strolled down the path that lead back to Konoha. It was a novelty that never seemed to dull over time. She'd been all over the world, smelt the air of hundreds of different places, yet not one could beat the smell of the forest. So many different trees, so many different scents; it had become somewhat intoxicating for her since she'd been away for so long.

"Tsunade-sama, shouldn't we do something about him? He'll wear himself out before too long if he keeps this up."

Tsunade turned to Shizune, who was carrying Tonton and giving a nervous glance towards the front of their little group. Following her gaze, she found herself smiling despite herself as she watched Naruto. While it was easy to follow his obsessive thought patterns from time to time, his emotions were so wild, that she had decided to make a game of guessing them during the last week.

Naruto skipped backwards in front of them, each step eager, and with a bounce of urgency to them. Since Konoha had come into their sight, he'd taken to consistently glancing behind himself to check and see how much closer they'd gotten. Then, running back to the group, he'd run around them a few times before bolting forwards down the path. When he got a few meters away, he'd return to his backwards skipping, and give them a pathetic pleading look.

He was acting like a homesick puppy.

"Oh will you calm down!" Tsunade said, rolling her eyes at his antics. This had been going on for almost an hour, and after the first couple of times, it had become rather annoying.

Naruto, changing moods again, scowled. "We're almost to Konoha. Why aren't _you_ moving faster?"

"I like my freedom brat." Tsunade muttered, looking up at the faces of the former Hokage's. "Just let me enjoy it for a few more minutes."

Naruto hopped from foot to foot, still glancing over his shoulder. Shizune, still concerned for him, shouted at him. "Stop doing that! If you keep doing that you'll fall and hurt yourself."

Naruto shrugged. "Well, our first stops the hospital. If I fall and hurt myself, they can fix me back – ack!" True to Shizune's word, Naruto's clumsy feet knocked into each other and he found himself sprawled onto his back. As they reached him, Naruto muttered something that sounded like, "Down is up again, right?"

Tsunade shook his head. "What am I going to do with you?"

"I know what you could do with me." Jiraiya said, wiggling his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

"Hm, tempting." Tsunade said as she mulled over how far she could hit him. If she timed it right, she could launch him through the gates of Konoha and scar the hell out of whoever was guarding the place.

"How 'bout I help you make up your mind?" Jiraiya said, shuffling closer to Tsunade.

'_Right about…now.'_

Tsunade stepped back, letting Jiraiya pass through air as his hand reached out for her. Drawing her arm back, she slammed it into his gut and got him airborne. After several seconds, she heard the ever delightful girlish scream as he went flying.

Naruto watched him go, covering his eyes with his hands to get a better view of where Jiraiya landed. "I think he's gonna hit the wall." He muttered. A strong gust of air suddenly blew through, and Jiraiya was shifted just enough that his spiraling form went face-first through the gates and into the ground. "Nope, it's good.

"Tsunade-sama! Why did you do that?" Shizune whined.

Tsunade shrugged. "I figured we would need to make certain that our excuse to go to the hospital was iron clad. Now it is."

Naruto zoomed around them again, his pace increasing in intensity. "We're almost there, come on!"

"Alright already, we're coming!" Tsunade yelled, increasing her pace slightly so as to sate his incessant yelling.

During the beginning of their return to Konoha, Naruto had been fine. He'd kept an eye on her throughout the trip, and would hunt her down if she went to try and gamble some of the money she won in the passing casinos. There was even a point that Tsunade had noticed Shizune relaxing for the first time since they'd begun traveling together. To have someone else to watch over and make sure that Tsunade made it back in one piece must have set her mind at ease. It most certainly didn't help that Naruto seemed to be part bloodhound, able to find her in the most obscure, back alley, hidden away places.

He called it luck. Shizune called it a lifesaver. Tsunade called it annoying.

"Honey, I'm home!" Tsunade yelled, looking at her handiwork with a pleased smile. Jiraiya's face had made a nice little trench that skid for several meters before leading to the now smoking head of said man.

"Oh Tsunade-sama, it's good to see you." A bored voice said from to her left.

Glancing towards them, she felt her eyebrow twitch in irritation as the two who were guarding the village looked at her with nonchalant grins. "Good to see you? That's it? What if I were some spy from another village?"

"Then I'd have to ask how you launched Jiraiya-sama." The man with bandages across his nose said cheekily.

Naruto perked up upon seeing them, giving them a quick wave. "Hi Izumo, hi Kotetsu!"

"Hey Naruto." They both replied, giving him a wave.

"Did I miss anything awesome while I was gone?"

Izumo shrugged. "Nah, just the usual." Rubbing his chin, he got a small grin on his face as he continued. "Although, I did here that Ichiraku's is helping with the reconstruction, and as such will be closed for the next couple of weeks."

The look on Naruto's face was priceless. Falling to his knees with a river of tears streaming down his face, he leaned back and shouted to the heavens. "NO! Not the ramen! Why must you be so cruel to me?" Sobbing for a couple of moment, he suddenly got up and began walking away calmly. "Come on oba-chan (Granny), we gotta go!"

Tsunade, Izumo, and Kotetsu blinked in shock. Even with the whiplash she'd gotten from traveling with him, the change had been almost too fast to track. Turning to the two guards, she tentatively asked. "Is that…normal?"

Kotetsu was the first of the two to snap out of it, shaking his head vigorously. "No, he'd usually mope more. Ramen is what he lives on, and the loss of Ichiraku Ramen should've made him near comatose by now." Raising an eyebrow, he pointed to where he was leaving. "Did you…fix his brain somehow?"

"Not enough doctors in the world." Jiraiya muttered from where his face was still in the ground. Shizune, while still respecting the man, gave him a sharp kick to the ribs.

Tsunade stared after Naruto, slowly sighing in resignation as she slowly began to follow after him. Truly, he was the strangest boy she'd ever met.

**-xxxxx-**

Since Naruto had last been there, there had been an increase in injured people in the hospital. Dodging and weaving around the people and doctors, he made his way towards Hinata's room. Or at least, he was trying too.

Glancing back, he sighed in frustration as Tsunade had stopped _again_ to check over someone else that had crossed her path. While he understood that there were other people that needed assistance, he knew that there were many other doctors to help out. And there was only _one_ Tsunade to go around.

Tapping his feet, he let his mind wander. While normally it wasn't something he did, he'd become rather confused on something that just didn't make sense to him. Why Hinata?

He knew her, had met her in the prelims, and before the finals, but that was it. He had no other connection besides her giving him her support, and him vowing to beat Neji. Yet he'd traversed Hi no Kuni looking for the one woman who had the potential capability of healing her, going as far as risking his shinobi career on it. He'd had no idea what he'd been getting into at the time, but he had achieved the desired outcome.

Now if only he could get her to do what he'd dragged her here to do!

"Tsunade-sama, could you please check this young woman?" One of the nurses said with a tone of desperation in her voice. Tsunade, giving her a nod, walked into the room she'd motioned too. "Thank you Tsunade-sama, thank you."

Naruto grumbled under his breath, jogging into the room after her. When he got into the room though, the person lying there was not one he'd expected to see. Skidding to a stop, he stared into the room uncertainly.

"Ino?" Naruto said softly.

Despite being in a hospital room, she looked fine. There was a slight paleness to her cheeks, but that was more likely due to the lack of sunlight she'd received since Naruto had been gone. The only thing that registered as an injury in his mind was the thin line that ran across her throat.

Across the counters across from her, a myriad of flowers adorned it. While mostly family, there were a few others. There was even one from Sakura. Considering how their fight had ended during the preliminaries, it was good to know she didn't still feel any animosity towards Ino. Naruto wasn't sure he could say the same.

"How are you feeling…" Tsunade checked her chart. "Yamanaka-san?"

Ino gave Tsunade a small smile, looking bright as could be. "Better then I did a couple weeks ago." Her eyes slowly panned over to Naruto, blinking in confusion. "Naruto? What're you doing here?"

Naruto shuffled back, wishing he hadn't followed Tsunade into this room. "I'm following Tsunade-oba-chan around."

"Really?" Glancing back to Tsunade she whispered hoarsely. "Isn't it kinda annoying having him follow you around?"

Tsunade shrugged, scanning her injury to see what the damage was. "You have no idea. He's got to be part Inuzuka or something, because whenever I try to lose him, he finds me."

Ino laughed, the imagery of Naruto tracking someone down seemed ridiculous. Although, with how persistent, even he could get lucky.

"Oba-chan, let's go!" Naruto whined, glancing back to the hallway behind him.

Tsunade shot Naruto a glare. "Be patient gaki, just let me finish my diagnosis before we leave."

Naruto nodded, shifting awkwardly in his little corner. Feeling a chill on the back of his neck, he glanced out of the room. The chill grew slightly stronger as he did, so he began slowly edging out of Ino's room to follow it.

Shuddering as he came to a set of stairs, he began heading up them. By the time he'd gone up several floors, he felt Han'ishiki 'poking' his head to go down that particular floor. Having never been up this high in the hospital before, he paused to read the sign that told what people were treated there.

"Long term critical care?" Naruto muttered. Shrugging, he began walking down the hall. Unlike the other floors he'd been on, the people there were few and in between. Almost immediately, a door caught his attention. Gripping the handle of the door, he made to enter the room.

"Sir, you can't go in there. Sir!"

Naruto ignored the nurse as he ducked into the room. Letting the door go behind him, he drew to a complete stop as he stared at the person in the bed. "Hinata."

He didn't notice that the door he'd gone through hadn't closed behind him as he stared at Hinata's still form. Remembering how she'd looked when he'd left, the change was so startling he wasn't sure what to think. Before, she'd simply lain in the bed with an IV in her arm, looking rather normal. Now, the IV was joined by a piece of paper with a sealing array over her face, and a tube in her mouth. In a way, she reminded him of how she'd looked when he'd seen her on the floor in the preliminaries.

Taking small, hesitant steps forwards, he made his way to the side of her bed. Were it not for the fact she had the tube and IV, she would have almost looked serene and peaceful. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he sat in the seat next to her.

**:: Naruto, you okay? ::**

'_No, not really.'_

He slowly, hesitantly reached to grab her hand. Before he could, a voice caught him off guard. "Hello Uzumaki-san."

Naruto yelped, jumping back in his chair. The sudden force knocked him and the chair backward. "…owie."

"My apologies Uzumaki-san, I should have announced my presence earlier."

Naruto picked himself up, groaning as he looked around to see who it was. It didn't take too long to see who it was, and he found himself surprised by who he saw; not that he knew who he was. "Eh? Who're you?"

The man was dressed in a formal kimono, either both hands tucked in his sleeves. He had long black hair, and pale white eyes similar to Hinata's. The man didn't outwardly appear to react to Naruto's question, though inwardly he chuckled. "My name is Hyuuga Hiashi. I am Hinata's tou-san."

"Really?" Naruto glanced between Hinata and Hiashi, blinking owlishly. "Huh, I didn't see you when I visited Hinata at the hospital." Shrugging he picked himself and the chair back up. "I guess we missed each other."

"Perhaps." Hiashi said, pulling up a chair of his own. "Or perhaps I simply left before you arrived to keep an eye on you."

Naruto chuckled, thinking he was kidding. When he looked back at Hiashi's face though, he remembered that he had eyes that could do just that. "Ah, right."

Hiashi looked Naruto over, raising an eyebrow subtly. "Haven't you been around recently."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I was out with Jiraiya-san looking for –"

"Gaki! Where'd you go?"

"Oh, oba-chan. I'm in here!"

Hiashi was actually visibly shocked as Tsunade walked through into the room. To piece together that Naruto had been with Jiraiya to search for Tsunade made both his eyebrows rise in shock. Apparently Naruto had been rather busy while he'd been gone.

Tsunade peaked into the room curiously, looking between Naruto and Hiashi curiously. "Gaki, what're you doing in here?"

"Oh, this is Hinata-chan's room." Naruto said, motioning to Hinata's bed.

Tsunade stepped in, quickly picking up her chart to look over her condition. "Let's see. Blood pressure is down, most of her vitals appear normal." Flipping a couple of pages, she grimace as she saw what her diagnosis was. "A partially collapsed chakra coil around her heart. Not many people could survive for long without stasis seals, or a legitimately good doctor."

"So, you can help?" Naruto asked, tapping his knee rapidly in nervous apprehension. It would have sucked if, after all that, Tsunade turned out to be unable to help Hinata out.

Shaking her head, she ran a hand through her hair. "Whatever Hyuuga did this too her must've either been really skilled, or really pissed off. Considering how most Hyuuga are in control of their emotions that would take something big to set them off." Giving Hyuuga Hiashi a small shrug, she continued. "No offense."

"None taken." Hiashi replied. Looking back over Hinata, he gave Tsunade a small bow. "Please, help my daughter."

"You're daughter?" Tsunade asked. Looking between Hiashi and Naruto, a smirk crossed her face. "So _this _is the girl you all but dragged me back to help?"

Naruto nodded, leaning onto her bed, his hand brushing against Hinata's accidently. "Yeah, this is her."

Tsunade looked over the chart further, mentally going over her experience to determine whether or not she'd be able to help. "Well it would take a couple of weeks, but I should be able to repair the damage."

Naruto's eyes lit up, a smaller smile then he'd ever had previously appearing on his face. "Thank you oba-chan." Chewing on his lip, he slowly backed away. "I'll – uh, I'll just leave you to this then."

Tsunade watched him leave, giggling as soon as he'd completely left. "Wow, he's really smitten by her."

"Perhaps." Hiashi muttered as a slight threatening aura shrouded him. He, being a father, thought over Naruto's actions critically. _'I'm going to have to keep an eye on that boy. He's bound to be nothing but trouble.'_

If only he knew.

**-xxxxx-**

Later that day, after Tsunade had been unofficially instituted as the Godaime Hokage (Fifth Fire Shadow), Tsunade had been given a very important job to perform. One which had been put off since there had been no Hokage to perform said duty. She needed to go over the information on the Chunin Exams, and determine who was to be promoted, and who wasn't.

"Okay, I see several potential candidates for chunin, but I think we should go over everything before we decide." Tsunade said, nursing a headache as she stared at the folders before her.

After several hours of scrutiny, and deliberation, they'd decided on their potential candidates for chunin. They'd had to add the points from the first exam, with the points given for the amount of time it took them to traverse the Forest of Death, and the final judging of the third exam and the reaction it received from people who could potentially pay for missions from them. However, Tsunade was also adding another element to this particular choosing; how they reacted during the invasion. A final, 'trial by fire' as it were.

"First candidate, Nara Shikamaru." Koharu said, opening his file. "He scored perfectly on the written exam, and was noticed helping his teammate Akimichi Choji score similarly. During the second exam, he made it through with a few days to spare. During the third test he showed extreme forethought, and kept from overly expending his chakra."

"And during the invasion?" Tsunade asked.

Homura sighed, pulling out a separate group of pages. "According to the reports we received from several different people, he helped keep the Academy and its instructors move the students from the Academy to the bunker behind the Hokage's Monument. There were several instructors who gave him quite the high marked reviews."

Tsunade nodded. "Alright, he sounds like he would be good choice. What about…" Flipping through the folders, she pulled out the second. "Aburame Shino?"

"He scored perfectly as well, though he made it to the center of the Forest of Death in record time for a Konoha chunin hopeful, right after the Kazekage's children. For the third test, he also showed tactical know how and was able to trap his opponent and disable him." Koharu recited, flipping the pages of the folder. "He didn't receive quite as many reviews about his conduct, but did help apprehend the Kazekage's children which helped dispel the residual forces Suna had within our village."

Tsunade nodded, knowing how something simple like that could cost the lives of many shinobi. "Another potential candidate." Pulling out the next folder, she sighed. "Next, Uchiha Sasuke."

Homura tabbed his folder with a thoughtful gaze. "Perfect first exam score, same time as Nara Shikamaru, and showed tactical know-how." Homura shook his head. "However, he took a bit too long, and the reviews from the Academy instructors were…less then helpful."

"How so?" Tsunade curiously questioned.

Homura gave her a small frown. "Once he heard that Sarutobi Konohamaru had been kidnapped, he rushed off to help him. He didn't ask for directions, or get a hold of someone who might've been able to help in his search. While Mitarashi Anko gave him a good review on his fighting skills, I don't believe he is ready for promotion. He's too headstrong, and needs to build more skill in being a member of a team before we allow him to _lead_ a team."

Tsunade nodded, knowing how having someone who was too headstrong leading a team could potentially lead to disaster. Shuffling through his papers, she sighed. "Well, he's at least in consideration. Time for the final contender."

"Yes." Koharu said, raising an eyebrow as she motioned to the folder she held.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Homura muttered, leafing through Naruto's folder.

Naruto had been one they hadn't quite seen as a contender in the finals who would advance to chunin. However, when compared to Sasuke's scores, he surprisingly got up to the same score for the first two rounds. For the third round though, Naruto had blown them all out of the water.

Neji was the more likely winner of the match, and had gotten several people just coming just to see him compete, and even more were hoping for the potential match up between him and Sasuke. Hyuuga verse Uchiha would be perhaps be one of the most thrilling matchups; one that many people would have paid in blood to see. Instead, Neji had lost.

And while that in and of itself would have been alright, it was the manner in which he'd lost that caught many off guard. Others who knew the Hyuuga fighting style knew that the main thing one should never do is get close to them. Anyone of sound mind would back off as quickly as possible and launch long ranged or area destructive attacks. It was the only correct method anyone else would have thought of. It may have been more costly in terms of chakra, but it was smart.

Naruto was not others, and he was of far more questionable mind then most, yet he had pulled off close quarters combat with a Hyuuga. Instead of spamming clones like Kakashi had told them he was prone to doing, he'd utilized his clones well, and was more focused on actually fighting. Not only that, but he'd done it without getting hit once.

"I'd say promote him just based on the first three tests alone." Tsunade said, a cheerful smile on her face.

Koharu shook her head immediately. "It was your idea to judge them on their reaction to the invasion." Pulling out a few sheets of paper, he began to leaf through them. Before she began an exposition on what had been said, she noticed Tsunade's smirk. "Something you'd like to share with us?"

"Yes." Tsunade turned to the door. "You can come in now."

The door opened, revealing three of the four people that they had been discussing walked into the room. Koharu and Homura glanced at Tsunade, wondering how she'd managed to set this up without their knowledge. More so since she hadn't met most or known of the candidates before she'd been given the list.

"Hello Hokage-sama." Shino said, bowing to Tsunade respectfully.

"This is so troublesome." Shikamaru muttered.

"Hn." Sasuke looked around the room curiously, uncertain of why he'd been called there.

Tsunade clapped her hands together. "Alright then! Now we can move onto the questioning!" Pointing to Shikamaru, she continued. "Okay then, you're up first. What can you tell me about Naruto's reaction during the invasion?"

"Troublesome." Shikamaru grumbled. Thinking over where to start, he shrugged. "He was surprisingly levelheaded when it broke out. While we were formed a group for a bit, he was the one who suggested we split up and help on two fronts. In a way, he utilized a counter-pincer movement that Otogakure tried to use against us."

"Pincer movement? What pincer movement?" Homura asked somewhat skeptically. "There was nothing in the reports about any pincer movement utilized by Otogakure."

"No one asked." Shikamaru said lazily.

Tsunade waved Homura off, turning to Sasuke. "You're his teammate, correct?"

"Yes." Sasuke replied.

"How would you describe his growth during the Chunin Exams?"

Sasuke tapped his foot lightly against the floor as he thought over how to answer the question. "Hm, I suppose I'd call it ridiculous."

"Ridiculous? Why would you say that?" Koharu asked.

Sasuke gave her a flat stare. "He went from the dead last of the Academy, to barely-competent shinobi during our first C-ranked mission, to somewhat skilled shinobi combat specialist during the Chunin Exams." Turning his gaze back to Tsunade, he kept his voice rather neutral. "Like I said, ridiculous."

Koharu and Homura shared a look, both uncertain of how such growth might have come about. While he certainly had the potential, he would require a proper teacher to focus his skill set into something more threatening. Hearing that he _had_ been growing at a somewhat consistent rate reassured them that Kakashi was doing his job well. After all, who else could mold such an impossible person into such an imposing fighter?

Tsunade on the other hand, grimaced in remembrance of her own fight with Naruto. He'd certainly lived up to his skill set as a combat specialist, and would only get better if he kept on that track. Thankfully, after testing her new hemophobia cure several times while in the hospital, she was now more then cured enough to have faith in her fighting abilities once more. Round two would end in her victory; at least, she was pretty sure she'd win.

Pointing at Shino, she continued. "Your turn."

Shino pushed his glasses gently up to the bridge of his nose. "Very well. Knowing what this is likely about, I will give you my opinion based on the facts I have seen."

Koharu and Homura nodded, both knowing that –as an Aburame– whatever he said would be made without any emotions hampering his thoughts. He would be to the point, and would give the facts that supported it. The very facts they were certain he'd put into the reports they had.

"Uzumaki-san is not a person of the same logical standpoint as I am, but he does show moments of shocking intellect. For example, while we pursued Gaara to ensure that he and his siblings didn't regroup with other Suna shinobi, Naruto called us to a halt, and suggested splitting up. Because we weren't fully thinking things through, we were caught somewhat off guard when he suggested sending two of us to help with the Academy. None of us had thought of the students, and the strategic value an enemy might place on them.

"I myself went with Naruto to apprehend Gaara. During our travel, Naruto asked questions to better understand my abilities so he'd be prepared for whatever we had to face. Before we reached Gaara though, we were ambushed by Gaara's older brother, Kankuro. I stayed behind to fight him off.

"When I'd finished and was leading Kankuro to where Gaara was, I felt a strange chakra emanating from the are of the battle, before seeing multiple explosions that cut into the buildings around them." Shino paused, remembering how Naruto had exhausted himself during his fight. Frowning imperceptibly, he continued. "In a fight against all odds, despite near defeat, Naruto pressed onwards. He more then likely had a general idea of the risks that he'd take should he have backed down, as well as the potential damage that could've been caused because he was unable to stop Gaara from reuniting with the forces of Sunagakure." Crossing his arms across his chest, in remarkably the most emotional display they'd seen from him thus far, he finished. "If you are looking for further recommendation, I support Naruto being promoted to the rank of chunin. He is a leader, and is one of the few people I know who would set aside his pride to listen to reason and logic. Yet when he has come to his final decision, he will firmly remain beside it, unwavering and steadfast."

'_Sounds like traits of a Hokage.'_ Tsunade thought with a smile. She gave the three of them a dismissive wave. "Thank you for your time and impute. You're now dismissed."

All three of them gave short bows and turned to leave. However, before he left completely, Sasuke paused at the doorway. Twitching and hesitating, he turned around. "May I say something before I go?"

When Tsunade nodded, Sasuke began clenching and unclenching his fists. After a few moments of silence, and with a scowl, he finally spoke. "If I was recommended for promotion…please don't." Not catching the somewhat startled looks, he continued on. "I ran off without thinking through what I was doing when I heard Konohamaru was taken, and if I hadn't gotten lucky, I wouldn't have even run across Anko-san when I did. I'm just…I'm not…" Taking a deep breath and steeling himself, he finished, "I'm not ready to be a chunin and lead teams for Konoha."

The three watched in silence as Sasuke quickly darted out, Tsunade with a bemused look, and Koharu and Homura with expressions that would have been blackmail for ages if someone took a picture. As the silence dragged on though, Tsunade decided to shake the two councilors from their stupor. "I think we should promote that kid."

Both councilors snapped their heads to her, their expressions increasing in confusion. "What?"

Tsunade shrugged. "Every genin knows they only start getting the 'cool missions' once they become chunin. It's the starting drive every genin needs if they want to start thinking about ranking up. The exams were made to instill other traits we want them to understand before they get out there." Pointing to the door where Sasuke had left, she smirked. "That boy just demonstrated that he understands a portion of what he was supposed to learn in the Chunin Exams. The skills and other traits will come later, but being a leader who understands the consequence of failure means he's less likely to rush and make the same mistake."

The two councilors mulled it over, thinking over what she'd said, and what that would mean for Konoha. After a couple of seconds, Homura saw the logical reasoning behind her words. "I suppose you do have a point. One could say that the invasion caused him to react impulsively, and made him recognized how that affected others in the long run. That is something most chunin don't understand until they lead a team of their own and fail for the first time." He nodded to himself. "While I wish that the circumstances might have been better, he has shown the growth a chunin should exhibit. I agree Tsunade, promoting him would be a good idea."

Tsunade grinned. "Then it's decided. Nara Shikamaru, Aburame Shino, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto will be given their promotions as soon as I am publically sworn into my position as Hokage. Thank you, you're dismissed."

**-xxxxx-**

"That nearly killed me to do." Sasuke muttered shortly after he walked out of the Hokage Tower. As he turned a corner to walk back to his home, he felt a pair of arms on his shoulders.

"Trust me, it'll be worth it." A voice hisses into his ear.

Glancing behind himself, he groaned. "Are you sure Anko-san? It felt more like I was committing seppuku, only without the 'atoning for my shame' part."

Anko smirked. "Admitting you are wrong to someone takes a lot of balls to do. Besides, we talked about this; if you don't admit you're wrong, you'll just blind yourself to the truth and become a spiteful and stupid person."

Sasuke sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I hate it that you keep doing that. You act like Naruto, but you give advice like the Sandaime."

Anko giggled. "He gave me that advice when I was getting trying to tell people I wasn't mad at my sensei. Once I got that off my chest, I felt a whole lot better."

"I don't feel better." Sasuke mumbled.

Anko hugged him tighter, grinning as she softly whispered into his ear. "You're lying again."  
Sasuke shuddered, cursing how easily Anko had been able to catch him in lies like that. "Hn, so maybe I do feel better." Giving her a halfhearted glare, he crossed his arms in annoyance. "Can we please go back to training now?"

Anko hummed, mulling over how much she wanted to annoy Sasuke. Deciding he'd earned a quick response she grinned. "Okay! Be ready to run Sasuke-chan!"

As they were surrounded by a whirl of leaves, one might've sworn they'd seen a bead of sweat running down the back of Sasuke's head. But that would be silly; Sasuke wasn't scared of anything.

Of course, most people didn't know that training with Anko generally meant being chased by a thirty foot long constrictive snake that was hell bent on eating them; which quite honestly, was probably for the best.

* * *

AN: I feel like this chapter was kinda off, but then it's mainly a transition chapter before the transition chapter I've been trying to build up to, and didn't think I'd make it to because of my mission.

First off, Naruto's been a little Out Of Character recently; he knows so little about Hinata, yet he put his career as a shinobi on the line? When it was his sensei and teammate, Kishimoto did do a good job at working that to make Naruto's plight make more sense. Me? I just had him almost have to quit his lifelong dream because he would have had to keep his promise had he lost. I mean really, have any of you asked why Naruto's been acting like this? Hm...

Of course, there is a plot device, one which I mentioned in one of the earlier Author's Note's as something I noticed in the manga which could be to blame (wiggles eyebrows).

Hm, how many people are going to hate Sasuke being promoted? I dunno, but it'll be interesting to see. Of course, you have to admit that Ebisu teaching him, and continual exposure to Anko's Naruto-like personality would force a person to mature and look at life different then normal.

Next time on Word of Honor; _I Break Naruto._ I pull out perhaps one of the strangest and quirkiest twists that I've been twisting since I first started writing this. Yeah, remember that this twist has been planned from the beginning when you read it, and it should make more then a few of you follow what Naruto's gonna do at the end. (laugh's evilly)


	35. I Break Naruto

You know, I'm getting a bit confused about how people don't update more. I managed to crunch this out in a little over twelve hours, and I have a job and all the other stuff most everyone else has. And I'm really just getting started on some of this stuff. Of course, I also have the deadline of when I'm leaving - now a month from now - so I'm writing as fast as humanly possible for a guy who can type as fast as your average dude.

Anyways, enough ranting. Onto the story.

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Word of Honor**

_Chapter 35: I Break Naruto_

"**And now that we have managed to get Tsunade we don't have to see Hinata's heart anymore. Thank the log."**  
"Thank the log." Kushina muttered, playing with her hair as she watched Han'ishiki sitting next to Han'ishiki. He'd been like that, rather similarly to how Naruto had sat with the real Hinata a few days before.

For some reason, shortly after Naruto's own visit, Han'ishiki had taken it upon himself to remain by the Hinata that was in his mind. While he had talked a lot, mainly saying different things about how he was happy he was that Hinata was fine, there was something else that appeared to be on his mind.

"We should really be going now, to look over everything else in his mind." Kushina said softly, not sure if she should raise her voice more.

"**I'm not done yet."** Han'ishiki muttered, his eyes darting from side to side as though in deep thought. **"I'm still missing something here. I just can't figure out what in the world it is."** Rubbing his eyes and briefly pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. **"I just don't know what."**

Kushina walked over, quietly placing a hand on his shoulder. "Take a break, you've been at this for hours on end." Gripping his shoulder tightly, she tried to guide him away. "You can't keep doing this. You'll get Naruto sick from all this thinking, and then he'll just end up frustrated and we both know how he get's when he's frustrated."

Firm in his resolve, Han'ishiki remained unmoving as he continued to stare down at Hinata's face. **"Yes I know, but it'll be a learning experience. Figuring out how to control ones anger will be good for him."**

"And bad for everyone else." Kushina muttered, glancing back towards the hall from which she knew the Kyuubi's stairwell led. While the Kyuubi was far more reluctant to have its chakra pulled from it's hole, strong emotions would still draw out its chakra regardless of whether or not it wanted it to happen.

"**Details, details."** Han'ishiki said dismissively. Leaning forwards, he gently rubbed his chin, a new idea coming to mind. **"I think…I might have an idea."**

Reaching his hand forwards, he attempted to touch Hinata's face. While Naruto had been able to tentatively touch her from time to time, Han'ishiki had remained incapable of touching her since she'd arrived in his mind. He couldn't, since Naruto had not experienced any form of contact wherein he could make a reference.

Like before, his hand went through her face without any resistance. Han'ishiki let his hand remain in her face, his eye twitching for a moment before he pulled his hand away. He groaned in frustration, dropping his head onto the sheets.

Kushina stepped back, letting Han'ishiki have his moment to continue on in his frustration. She hoped that it wouldn't affect Naruto, especially since he seemed quite disgruntled. Figuring that she should step in now, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "We should get going now. She'll still be here when we get – "

"**Holy crap…"** Han'ishiki muttered.

She leaned over his shoulder, confusion evident on her face. Not understanding what was happening she, stood on her toes as she attempted to see whatever Han'ishiki was seeing. "What is it?"

"**Look at my hand. Look at our hands."** Han'ishiki whispered, letting his hand rest against Hinata's. Glancing up at Kushina, he noticed her blank expression. Grinning widely, he moved his hand slowly again. **"Look at my hand, then at her hand. Look closely now, or you'll miss it."**

Looking closely, she almost shook her head when her eyes caught sight of what he was trying to draw attention too. His hand, though only on a small part, was touching Hinata's hand. "Oh my…" Leaning closer, she gave Han'ishiki a fleeting glance. "What's going on?"

"You know, I'd expect you to know that Kushina-chan."

Han'ishiki spun around, leaping out of his chair and placing himself in front of Kushina. Materializing a pair of kunai, he wiped his hands across his chest in a defensive position. Kushina on the other hand, froze up completely. While Han'ishiki was between them, she still had more then enough room to maneuver around him to see who it was. When she did, she found her throat tightening as she slowly cursed. "Log damn it."

The figure in the doorway crossed their arms, giving Kushina a rather stern glare. "We need to talk. Now."

**-xxxxx-**

Naruto stared aimlessly at his ceiling, not quite sure what to do with himself now that he'd returned from searching for Tsunade. When he'd searched for Jiraiya, he was regrettably absent from all of the normal places Naruto figured he would find him lurking about. In turn, Naruto had nothing to do.

"Hey Naruto-nee-san, can we have some snacks?"

Nothing, but talking to the two toads he'd summoned. And that had lost its novelty ten minutes after he'd summoned them, what with Gamatatsu – one of the toads he summoned – asking for snacks.

"I don't have any snacks." Naruto muttered again.

"Give him a break Gamatatsu, he doesn't have any snacks."

"But Gamakichi, I'm hungry."

Naruto sat up, getting the two off his chest. He ran a hand through his hair, obviously frustrated. Unfortunately, Gamatatsu obviously hadn't gotten the memo, which meant Naruto needed for him to set him straight. "Look, I'm really frustrated right now. Could you please stop asking for snacks?"

"Eh? But snacks are so tasty!" Gamatatsu said, obviously still on the 'I'm hungry' thought line.

Naruto shook his head, quickly vacating him spot on the bed with a growl. "Fine! I'll go get some snacks!"

Gamakichi crossed his arms. "Hey, that's no way for a subordinate to talk to – " He cut himself off, Naruto's glare being leveled on him. There was a small hint of red in his eyes that made him shiver and raise his arms in surrender. "Okay, okay I get it. You're the boss man."

"Eh? He's our boss?" Gamatatsu asked, looking between Naruto and Gamakichi, his bloated yellow cheeks puffing out slightly before he grinned. "Hey boss, can we get some – "

Gamakichi dove across the bed, tackling and covering Gamatatsu's mouth and pinning him down. Seeing Naruto's glare had continued unabated, he tried to smile despite his nervousness. "I-it's cool, we're cool."

A sharp rap on Naruto's door drew Naruto's attention, giving Gamakichi a moment of reprieve. Naruto, grumbling under his breath, strolled to his door as he muttered to himself. Opening his door, he was surprised to see two chunin he knew standing there. "Izumo! Kotetsu! What're you guys doing here?" He raised an eyebrow in confusion. "How did you find where I live?"

"We were given your address by Tsunade-sama." Kotetsu replied, chuckling at Naruto's reaction.

"We don't have all day." Izumo said, motioning for Naruto to follow him. "Let's go."

"What? Where?"

"We're going to see Tsunade-sama. Something about an exam or whatnot." Kotetsu said offhandedly.

The words were barely out of his mouth before he realized the area where Naruto had been standing was now vacant. A small thump and crash from the back of the room caught their ears, making Kotetsu look at Izumo in confusion. Izumo just shrugged. "She's the world's best medic, and you told him she wanted to see him for an exam. He probably put two and two together and figured that's what we meant."

"You'll never take me alive!"

Kotetsu walked to the edge of the apartment complex, peaking around the side. Naruto was speeding away like a madman, his haori flapping in the wind as it was unrestrained by his belt styled hiate. It was a very dramatic exit, for someone who was running from something that he probably was going to _want_.

He leaned back to Izumo. "You think we should still tell him that Tsunade wants him so that she can promote him to chunin?"

"I think he forgot he was even shooting for chunin." Izumo muttered, scratching the bridge of his nose with a sigh. "These things are normally taken care of a lot sooner then this, so it wouldn't be a long shot to think that he forgot something like that."

"Well then, should we catch him first?"

Izumo smirked. Cracking his neck, he got into a ready stance. "It's been a while since we've had a fox hunt with our ever elusive prey. I'd say we're due for a little practice."

Kotetsu grinned. "Oh I agree." Digging his foot into the wood he looked at Izumo out of the corner of his eye. "Same stakes?"

"Loser collects all of the Hokage's paperwork and brings it to her, or takes it to wherever it needs to go." Izumo replied. Before he could begin to count down, Kotetsu launched himself forwards. "Cheater!"

He raced after him, both chuckling loudly after Naruto who had already gotten several blocks away as he tried desperately to get away from what he thought was a medical examination. If only he knew.

**-xxxxx-**

Naruto grumbled quietly as he sat in front of Tsunade and her advisors, tied up and with a twitching eyebrow. Standing behind him was Iruka, who was grinning despite himself. Behind him were Izumo and Kotetsu, both of whom were glaring at Iruka. He'd found out about the chase, and had managed to catch Naruto when he'd tried to hide behind him.

Tsunade stared at Naruto with amusement. She'd already figured out what had happened, and considering everything that had happened between them, it was quite satisfying. Even better, the three people who'd spoken on his behalf a few days before were standing besides him were there with him, raising an eyebrow in similar amusement.

"Well now, I'm glad you guys were able to make it here." Tsunade said, ignoring Naruto's muttering about how he'd been taken against his will. "I've been talking with my advisors about the Chunin Exams that happened a while back, and we've come to a conclusion."

Naruto perked up at the mention the Chunin Exams. "Wait, this is about the Chunin Exams? So this was never about me taking a medical exam?" Tsunade nodded, leaning back in her chair with a smug look on her face. Grinning widely, he struggled against his bonds. "Why didn't you just say so? Let me out of here, I wanna know if I'm getting promoted or not!"

Iruka glanced away, grinning at his response. "No, I don't think we will. You being held in place has made you more willing to listen when you were in the Academy so it should still –"

"I'm out!" Naruto shouted, the ropes hap hazardously strewn about himself.

Iruka snapped his head back around. "What – how did you do that?"

"He obviously picked up a few new tricks since he's left the Academy Iruka-sensei." Shino replied, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I'd say we've all learned a thing or two since we've been gone."

"That, and after I got out of his knots, and had to struggle with getting out of Kakashi's, I'd say he wanted to learn to get out of the rope trick." Sasuke said, also surprised by Naruto's sudden ability increase. Or at least, his basic skill increase.

Naruto nodded sagely, the bobbing of his head tossing the rest of the rope from his head. "Yep. Plus, it was a lot easier for me with my clones. And practice. Lots and lots of practice."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, turning back to face the entirety of the group. "As I was saying, we talked over the results of the Chunin Exams and we've come to a conclusion on who we're going to promote." Motioning to the four in front of her, she gave them a grin. "Take a good look at everyone in this room, because those are the people you'll be working with in many of your future missions."

Shikamaru frowned, looking to his left. Since he was on the far left, he had to look past Shino and Sasuke to see Naruto. Taking what Tsunade had said, and trying to imagine future missions with Naruto as his companion. Rubbing his face with the palm of his hand, he groaned. "Troublesome."

Shino, completely unfazed by this turn of events, merely shifted to look at Naruto. "It was a logical decision for this promotion."

Naruto, surprisingly not doing a victory dance of some sort, turned to Iruka. "So, does this mean I get to wear one of the super awesome vests you guys wear?"

Iruka chuckled. "Yeah, if you want to wear it, you can. Some people prefer to simply wear their normal shinobi attire though, so it's your choice."

Naruto was already at Tsunade's desk, wide eyed with a startling sparkle to them. "When can I get mine?"

"Wait, wait. I said _don't_ promote me."

Naruto snapped around, staring at Sasuke in confusion. "Say what?"

Sasuke stared at him, his normally blank face grimacing. "I asked them to not promote me when they asked about you. I…I messed up during the invasion, and I figured I needed more time to gain experience before I ranked up."

"And we decided that, because of your humility and maturity beyond your years, you'd make an excellent chunin." Koharu replied calmly. "Despite whatever you might've thought about how the invasion went, you did perform your duty as well as you might have in the field." Koharu glanced at Iruka, a small twitch at the corner of her mouth. "Besides that, we spoke with the instructors at the Academy. If you had waited around and attempted to speak with all the different instructors, you would have gotten no where. While you _should_ have taken a moment to ask if anyone had seen anything, the fact of the matter is that none of them did know anything, and your actions did save the life of a fellow shinobi in need."

Sasuke stared at Koharu and Tsunade, his mind running over everything he'd learned and how he'd put that to use. Figuring they'd taken his apology the wrong way, he tried to straighten it out. "But I still didn't do what I – people could have died!"

"Perhaps." Koharu replied. "However the point remains. Your actions, in hindsight only, were the best decision you could have possibly made. Not only that, but you've also shown a great deal of maturity for your age by admitting you were wrong."  
"But that doesn't change that I was wrong." Sasuke pleaded. "If that were a mission, I could have gotten killed, or gotten someone else killed."

"And that's what will make you a good leader." Homura said, speaking for the first time through that meeting. Seeing he had Sasuke's attention, he continued. "You all have shown the qualities of leadership that we desire in our chunin.

"Shikamaru; a tactical planner, and strategist. During the invasion, you showed that you could plan for what could happen, and take the best route possible.

"Shino; another strategist. You've shown that you are capable of shinobi combat, and will be invaluable when the time comes for us to utilize your abilities.

"Sasuke; a soldier and a man of instinct. You reacted to a situation that anyone else might've faltered to act in." He hung his head for a moment as he remembered what had happened during the invasion. "We've lost Konohamaru, but you were able to help take out an enemy and save another's life."

"What?" Naruto asked, reeling back in shock.

Homura turned to Naruto, giving him a slight nod. "Naruto; the combat specialist, and a cunning mind to match to outwit our foes. With your victory over Gaara, who was determined to be a jinchuuriki shortly after the battle through the information we received from several of the Suna who were unwilling to cooperate, we were able to keep Konohagakure no Sato safe."

"Wait – what?" Naruto gripped his head in pain. "What the heck's a jinchuuriki?"

Tsunade glanced between her advisors, getting a small nod from both of them before she spoke. "A jinchuuriki is a person who has what is called a Bijuu (Tailed Beast) sealed within them. Most villages utilize people with such creatures sealed within them as military weapons, which was what Gaara was meant to be used as during the invasion. Because you stopped him, he never had a chance to completely draw on the Bijuu sealed within him."

Naruto slowly took a step back, his mind processing this information as quickly as was humanly possible. "And-and Konohamaru?"

"Missing, for the time being." Homura said, rather begrudgingly. He wanted nothing more then to keep Naruto in the dark, but he'd heard that Naruto was rather close to them, and if someone else informed him instead of them, at least that he was missing, then they could potentially turn him against them. "We've been searching for him as hard as we can, but we have yet to find him."

There was a dull, lifelessness in Naruto's eyes as he thought of Konohamaru missing. Konohamaru was his friend; how had he simply missed a friend like him having gone missing without asking anyone where he was? Taking another step back, he stumbled over his words as he tried to peacefully leave. "Uh, thanks and all for the promotion…uh, I-I just remembered I, uh, left the stove on at home." He turned, walking into Iruka, who'd bared the way. "I-Iruka-sensei?"

"Naruto?" Iruka got down to Naruto's level, staring him in the eye. "If you want to talk, we can go get some ramen."

Naruto shook his head. "Maybe later Iruka-sensei." Sliding around Iruka, he waved back as he raced away. "I'll see you guys later!"

Everyone stared after him, most of them were bug-eyed in disbelief. Slowly, Shino broke the silence. "Naruto is a very emotional person. I believe it would be best, if we were to let him have a day to himself before we seek him out." Adjusting his glasses, he turned to Tsunade. "If you want, I could follow after him to make sure he doesn't do anything to rash."

Tsunade shook her head. "If you want to I suppose you can, but I'm sure he's not going to do anything too bad. He's emotional, but I'm sure he'll take it out in a reasonable, and mature manner." Giving them a wave to dismiss them, she gave her councilors a similar wave. "You're dismissed."

The three young men gave her a deep bow, quickly retreating out to continue whatever they were planning on doing. Koharu and Homura gave her a short bow, figuring that she was simply going to continue doing the paperwork she'd been doing before they'd arrived. Unknown to them, she had another reason for her dismissal.

As soon as everyone was gone, she closed the shades and locked the door. Closing her eyes, she focused chakra into the bracelet she'd been given by Itachi. After several moments, she found herself in a random cave.

"Hello Tsunade-san." A man said, an astral image standing on the other side of the cave from her.

Tsunade looked at her own arm, flexing and relaxing her fist as she stared through her own astral arm. Glancing up at the man, she gave him a small frown. "Who are you? Where's Itachi?"

"I am the leader of Akatsuki, Itachi's boss." The man said, getting a raised eyebrow from Tsunade. "You've been invited into this organization because of the purpose you can perform in Konoha. How has the job you've been coming along thus far?"

Tsunade smirked. "I'm the Hokage, so I'd say that the changes will be coming along nicely once the paperwork gets out of the way."

She was rather pleased to see that the leader's eyebrows shot up in surprise. It took quite a bit to catch someone who could organize people like Itachi under their leadership by surprise. "Well, this is surprising. I'd presumed that when the Sandaime Hokage was killed, that someone would be chosen to replace him. Having you in such a position will be beneficial for all of us."

"Okay hold up now." Tsunade said, glaring at the man. "If you want my help, I'm going to need a few more details on what's going on here."

"Of course you will." The man said dismissively, turning slightly away from Tsunade. "However, you must understand that while you _are_ a member, you are on probation for the time being. Once you've completed the tasks that will come your way, we'll see about how far into your induction into our ranks goes. After all, it would be rather foolish to simply trust you because you decided to join us."

Tsunade nodded, knowing that was a smart thing to do to ensure that the members were truly with them, and not simply attempting to study them as enemies. "Okay, so what now?"

"Continue with your duty. Maneuver Konoha, your village, to putting more energy into its medical division. Do you understand?"

Tsunade inclined her head slightly, her mind already going over what she knew of how to use Konoha's politics to get just that. "Alright, I'll get right on it."

Feeling herself being pushed back to her office in Konoha, she relaxed and let herself go. When she opened her eyes back in Konoha, she sighed as she thought over what had just happened. While she was honestly perturbed by being told how to run the village by someone on the outside, she had to admit that it was a sound strategy. If he were an enemy of Konoha, he wouldn't be having her do something that would make her forces stronger. For now, she'd trust him; there was no reason too otherwise.

**-xxxxx-**

"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!"

Naruto slammed his fist into a log on the top of the Hokage's Monument. He had no idea where the log had come from, but then again he was too busy pounding his now bloody fists into the log to think or worry about where it came from. His mind raced with the miscellaneous information he'd received in the Hokage's Tower.

As his fist slammed into the log again, his mind conjured an image of Konohamaru. He grimaced as the image smiled brightly at him; young and putting so much trust in him who he called 'Boss'. He certainly didn't believe he deserved to be called that anymore. What kind of a boss didn't think to ask where his 'subordinates' had been?

With a final roar, he swung wildly. Instead of hitting the log his fist went wild, his foot slipping out from underneath him. Falling to the ground, he groaned as he felt the pain of his landing. Too tired to really care about his position, he remained on the ground for several minutes with relative quiet.

"I guess I'd better go see was kaa-san wants." Naruto muttered. Since he'd left the Hokage's Tower, he'd been hearing his mother trying to call him into his mindscape. He'd been using the log and pain to try and tune her out, but now that he wasn't punching anymore, he figured he had nothing better to do then actually listen to her.

Closing his eyes, he allowed his chakra to pull himself into his mindscape. Taking a deep breath to check the difference between the real air verse his mindscape air, he was caught off guard as a fist collided with his cheek. Flying backward through the air, he found himself rather disoriented as his head collided with a wall. Unfortunately, it did nothing to help keep the loud yell that soon followed.

"What took you? I've been calling you for the last hour! What could have possibly kept you from even sending a message to me, to let me know what was going on?"

Naruto slowly picked himself up, feeling a hand under his arm helping lift him to his feet. "What hit me?" Naruto muttered, shaking his head as he looked around. Normally, he was comforted by the way his mind seemed only take in minimal changes over time. Now however, there was something completely different going on. "What the – what's going on?"

Unlike the normal, monotonous look it had once had, there was far more vibrant color and an obvious change in design. What had once been strictly a brick wall, was now covered with banners and tapestries that depicted things he found scary; especially since most of them were his battles. His fight with Gaara – apparently the demon in side him – was bordered in red and gold lining, depicting himself leaping upwards towards demon-Gaara with a fierceness he didn't realize he'd had. Tsunade's tapestry was woven with green and blue fibers that made the image of him standing over her look more pronounced.

"**I've been redecorating."** Han'ishiki said, looking rather proud of how the room looked. **"That, and you were so busy reminiscing, you started building these."**

Seeing Han'ishiki motion behind him, Naruto glanced to where he was motioning. To his surprise, there were two other battles he hadn't remembered while he'd focused on the other two. His fight against Kiba and Akamaru, and his fight for Moegi.

"Okay, why are these here?" Naruto asked, returning his gaze to Han'ishiki.

Instead of Han'ishiki though, there was a new man standing in his place. He had a scraggly grey beard, and sharp grey eyes that seemed to pierce straight through Naruto. He had grey armor strapped around his chest, arms, and knees, and black shinobi clothing underneath. Despite his towering stature in comparison to Naruto, he had a kindly smile beneath his beard as he looked Naruto over.

Naruto squirmed underneath his gaze, looking off to the side. "Uh, hi?"

"Hello young one." The man said cheerily, turning his eyes to Naruto's tapestries. "So, this is the area you keep your battle history huh? You haven't done much yet have you?"

"Uh, no?" Naruto muttered, watching the man suspiciously as he strolled around the room. Looking around, he finally found where Kushina and Han'ishiki stood and shuffled over to them. "Hey, who the heck is this guy?"

"**I wish I could tell you. He just appeared here a couple of hours ago and dragged Kushina off to talk to her. How he found us here, I have no idea."** Han'ishiki muttered.

"You've been ignoring my question Naruto." Kushina whispered, her eyes not leaving the new man. "Why didn't you tell me what was going on?"

"I was busy." Naruto whispered back, completely ignoring the new man. "Why are you snapping at me anyways? You've never complained about stuff like that before."

Kushina shifted nervously, glancing between the man and Naruto. "It's…complicated."

"No it's not." The man said, keeping his eyes on Naruto's victory over Kiba in sight as he spoke. Placing his hands gently against the small of his back, he slowly turned with a smirk crossing his face. "You're just flustered because you wanted him to make a good impression."

Kushina flushed, looking down as she spoke. "Well, didn't you want to let me try and show myself in a good light?"

"Not really, I didn't really care what my otou-san thought of you, since you were family regardless of what he might've thought." The man said, his grin fading slightly as he continued. "You do remember _that_ lesson, right? You forgot so many of the others that I'd be surprised if you listened to anything at all."

Kushina grimaced, crossing her arms defensively. "I listened to what you told me."

"But you forgot what I told you when I you asked why what I was telling you was important." The man snapped, stepping forwards to confront Kushina. Kushina winced as he loomed over her. "I warned you that what I was telling you wasn't for you to know because it would keep you alive, it was so that you could keep your _son_ alive."

Naruto, not liking the way the man was speaking to his mother, stepped between them. "Hey, who do you think you are, randomly appearing in my head and talking to my kaa-san like that?"

Kushina stood behind Naruto stiff as a board. She knew who this was, and was shell shocked by how Naruto had leapt in between them.

The man on the other hand, raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell do you think I am?"

"Some creep who barged into my head." Naruto replied without hesitation.

There was a moment of silence between the two as they stared each other down. Then, the man began roaring in laugher. "Oh yeah, he's definitely got our spunk, eh Kushina?"

Kushina sighed. For now, Naruto was in the clear. While he was a good person, jumping in and trying to get in the middle of something he didn't understand could get him killed. She'd have to teach him that later.

"Boy, you've got a good head on your shoulders." The man placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm proud that I'm your oji-san (Grandfather)."

Naruto shook his head, his mind momentarily taking in what he'd just heard to give the most intelligent response he could think of. "What?"

The man rolled his eyes. "I'm you oji-san, and that means that Kushina, is my little girl."

Naruto glanced between the two, trying to see how they were possibly related. As he looked between them, he figured that there was something he was missing, seeing as he and Kushina looked nothing alike either.

"Which means that it's my job to get on her whenever she makes a mistake." The man continued, crossing his arms with a scowl. "Like how young he is. You and I both know that he's too young to have activated his bloodline. Yet here he is, speaking to the both of us."

Kushina nodded. "I know but –"

"And then after you give him basic instruction, you don't bother to tell him that certain things will activate a bloodline loophole that will bring me in to fill in the gaps. The gaps _you_ were supposed to have already taken care of."

"Yes, but –"

The man held up a hand, stopping her rebuttal. "I taught you this when you were a little girl, from the moment I knew you understood what I was saying. And then, when you were taught the more advanced parts of the guy's side of the bloodline, and you forget it! What were you thinking?" He popped his neck, rubbing it lightly as he groaned in frustration. "After everything you've seen, and everything I taught you, this is by far the biggest mistake you have ever - "

"Ano…"

Everyone in the room turned in confusion at the fact that there was _another_ new person entering the room. Or rather, a person that three of the people knew, but had never heard speak in Naruto's mindscape before.

"Hinata? What are – how are – when did – " Naruto tries to ask, unsure of which question to ask first.

Kushina's father suddenly groans, getting everyone's attention back on him. "And here I thought you couldn't top it. You actually taught Naruto how to perform an Uzumaki marriage pact at his age?"

"Otou-san…I didn't teach him that." Kushina said, wide eyed in shock as she took in what had just been said.

Naruto blinked owlishly. "Marriage? To who?"

The man looked from Naruto to Hinata, and back again. It took some work, but Naruto slowly began making the connection he was trying to infer. Unfortunately for Naruto, Han'ishiki –being his subconsciousness – got it first. **"You may now kiss the bride. Hinata, kiss your groom."**

Naruto's eyes widened, blinking rapidly and looking around wildly. Unfortunately for Naruto, his mind had come under too much stress for one day. Within a few seconds, Naruto's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fainted.

* * *

AN: Congrats to Bad Habits, for guessing the twist before it hit. Still, there's more to come (rubs hands evilly as fingers fly across the keyboard).

Poor Naruto, he had a whole lot of stuff piled on him. Let's recount; thinking he was getting a medical exam, getting promotted, finding out Sasuke didn't want to be promoted, finding out that Konohamaru is currently missing, learning that Gaara was like him, then having his grandfather appear in his head, and then having Hinata talking even if for a moment. Passing out was the most obviuos response I could think of. Then again, I've still got plenty of stuff to go through to screw with peoples heads with my capability to twist the fabric of the story, so keep your eyes open. Poor, poor Naruto. He has no idea what kind of stuff I'm going to put him through.

Oh, and don't be too hard on Kushina's dad, I'm still working out his kinks. He just tried to look out for his daughter and future grandkids, and hearing that his daughter had forgotten all the stuff he taught her...I'd say he has every right to be frustrated.

Next time on Word of Honor; _Filling in the Blanks._ Some of that pesky information gets told so that you're all filled in.


	36. Filling in the Blanks

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Word of Honor**

_Chapter 36: Filling in the Blanks_

"I think you killed him."

"I did not. I just told him what he needed to hear. It's not my fault he's not ready to hear it."

"E-excuse me? N-Naruto-kun is waking up."

Naruto stirred from his place on the floor, finally coming around. As he moved his head, he felt a throbbing sensation, causing him to moan in pain. He'd forgotten that he'd fallen onto very hard stone a moment before, and now had the mindscape equivalent of a concussion. He'd likely just have a headache later, but for here it was much more painful.

Slowly sitting up, he felt a gentle hand tentatively helping him rise to a seated position. Opening his eyes to see who it was, he was startled to see Hinata kneeling next to him, helping to keep him steady as he got himself situated. Taking a moment to slowly shift forwards, he managed a pained smile. "Thanks Hinata-chan."

Hinata turned bright red, glancing away as she tried to quietly express her willingness to help. Before she could though, Naruto's grandfather stepped forward. "Okay kid, you can make kissy face with your fiance later. I need to explain what Kushina forgot to tell you now, and I want your full and undivided attention."

Naruto's face flared red, enough so to match Hinata's momentarily. He opened his mouth to quickly deny any sort of close affiliation with Hinata, but was reminded that Hinata was still next to him when she squeaked at the sudden movement Kushina's father had made. Acting purely on instinct, he found himself on his feet and between Hinata and Kushina's father in a blur of motion in a defensive stance to protect Hinata. Feeling the slight strain on his muscles, it slowly dawned on him that he'd used the Sokusensokketsu no Jutsu without hand seals.

Kushina's father raised an eyebrow. "Huh, so she did at least remember to teach you the base technique. That's good to see." Turning to Kushina, he continued to frown in disappointment. "At least you remembered _something_ I taught you."

"Otou-san!" Kushina yelled, not like how she was continually being reprimanded by her father in front of her son.

"**Ow…what hit me?"**

Everyone turned to the new sound, Naruto in confusion, as Han'ishiki slowly sat up. Naruto shook his head – an action he immediately regretted – as he tried to grasp what had happened. "Why is Han'ishiki on the floor?"

Kushina sighed. "When you fainted, Han'ishiki tried to get my otou-san to explain what was going on so he could leave. My otou-san is like you in a lot of ways and…he knocked Han'ishiki into the floor."

"Oh." Naruto muttered.

"**Yeah well, it could've been a lot worse."** Han'ishiki muttered. Turning to Naruto he groaned in annoyance. **"Could've been more comfortable too. Seriously? You gave him a pillow?"**

"Pillow?" Naruto asked, looking where he'd been laid. To his surprise, there was a pillow of a fashion where his head had been. Or rather, there was a thick jacket that had been folded and placed under his head that looked rather familiar. Glancing back to Hinata, he found himself blinking owlishly in shock. "Whoa."

Hinata, without her jacket, wore a mesh shirt with a loose black shirt over it. The jacket, having been oversized, had kept from the world the curves that would make any other woman jealous in Naruto's opinion. As she fidgeted under Naruto's gaze, Naruto noted how the darker colors seemed to bring out just how light her eyes were, making them sharper, more pronounced, and more stunning. Forgetting how to breath, his mouth continually opened and closed for a solid minute before he finally managed to tear his eyes away; admittedly, sporting a cherry red blush as he did so.

"Well, now that you're done making gooey eyes at your wife, we can start."

"I wasn't making gooey eyes!" Naruto shouted, his mind not bothering to reject the intimate relationship he apparently had with her. After all, he was a man. Men didn't make gooey eyes, girls did.

"Whatever." Kushina's father muttered, pulling out a large blackboard from hammer space and pulling out a piece of chalk. As he began writing, he began speaking in rhythm with the scratching of the chalk. "Now, my name is, Uzumaki Kamina. I will be your remedial teacher for this evening."

Naruto grimaced at the 'remedial' phrase. He'd had a few of those back in the academy –due to lack of attendance – and they'd never been all that fun. Mostly banging erasers together and helping clean up.

"**That's detention baka."** Han'ishiki muttered, pulling up a pair of chairs to sit on. To his, and the other adults amusement, Naruto quickly offered the chair to Hinata, who graciously accepted it.

"Now, let's start with the base basics." Kamina pointed to Han'ishiki. "This guy is a representation of your subconsciousness. He is everything you are, and knows everything you've ever forgotten about knowing."

"I already know that." Naruto said with a whining edge to his voice.

Kamina pulled out a ruler and slapped it against the blackboard. "I know that! That's so basic, everyone _must_ know it." Pointing the ruler in Naruto's face, he went on. "But did you also know that he knows everything Kushina knows?"

Naruto's eyes widened, glancing from Kushina to Han'ishiki. "Really? That's…pretty cool."

"Yeah, cool." Kushina whispered, rubbing her arm nervously as she remembered how Han'ishiki had helped keep the truth about her from him. She personally didn't enjoy the fact that Han'ishiki knew what she knew; it made her life too difficult.

"You see? You don't know everything you think you know." Kamina scolded. "Now, if you'll let me do my job, we'll be able to get through some of this stuff faster."

Naruto bowed his head. "I'm sorry."

"Good! Now, observe this chart." Kamina said, slapping the blackboard with the ruler. As he did so, a wave of lines began edging across the chart until they settled to form a divide on the board. On either side of the divide, there were words and odd sketches that didn't make much sense. What did make perfect sense to Naruto though, was that at the top of either side there was a heading; 'boy' on the left, and 'girl' on the right. "You will remain silent unless you're asking an intelligent question." Seeing Naruto nod Kamina smirked. "Good.

"Now, the first thing you were…_hopefully_ told was the two different ways your bloodline activates. The chains and the promises. Now, what you might _not_ have been told, is that there is a grey area between the two." He tapped the line, 'expanding' the line to create a overly dramatic representation of his 'grey area'. "Now, this grey area is very special. When a Uzumaki woman becomes one with her husband, she is given a small amount of power from her promises. Contrariwise, men don't appear to show any of the girl's ability to create chains."

"Question!" Naruto said, raising his hand in the air.

Heaving a small sigh, he crossed his arms as he turned to face Naruto. "Yes Naruto?"

"What does, uh, contrar-contrariwizz, mean?"

"_Contrariwise_." Kamina reproached quickly. "And it means the same thing as 'on the other hand', or 'as opposed too', without taking as much time to say."

Naruto scratched his head. "But, wouldn't it make more sense to just say, 'on the other hand'?"

Before Kamina could say anything, someone else beat him to it. "It makes conversations move faster to get to important things faster Naruto-kun."

Naruto turned to Hinata with an expression of elation. "Really?" Getting a hesitant nod, Naruto pounded his fist into his hand like a gavel, nodding to himself. "That makes sense! Otherwise, people'd get bored with a boring intro. Thanks Hinata-chan!"

Kamina raised an eyebrow in amusement, noting how Hinata shrunk in on her when Naruto complemented her. "Yes well, moving on. Men don't appear to do the same –"

"Question!"

Slowly turning to Naruto again, Kamina hissed out his response. "Yes?"

Naruto paused, noting the tone even though he was oblivious to the reason behind it. "What does 'become one' mean?" Noting everyone going silent, Naruto looked around in confusion. "Was it something I said?"

Kamina looked Naruto over, thinking over how best to answer this question. Taking note of a fact he apparently hadn't noticed before, he groaned. "How old are you Naruto?"

"I'm twelve, almost thirteen." Naruto replied quickly.

Kamina nodded to himself. "Alright then, I don't have to explain this for another two years."

"What?" Naruto shouted indignantly.

Kamina scowled, brandishing his ruler threateningly. "Because that kind of information isn't useful to you right now. For log's sake, you're twelve!"

"I'm almost thirteen." Naruto muttered.

"Doesn't matter. Until you're fifteen, you don't need to know what that particular phrase means." Kamina kept his scowl for a second, before switching to a more mischievous grin. "Besides, it's not like you'd understand what I'd be really saying until about then anyways. There's no point in corrupting you until you understand what I'm saying."

"What?" Kushina said, snapping to attention as her maternal instincts kicked into overdrive for the first time since she'd shown up in Naruto's mindscape.

"What?" Kamina asked in feinted innocence.

Kushina's eyes seemed to shoot fire out as she slowly spoke. "Did you say you were waiting to _corrupt_ my sochi (son)?"

Kamina rolled his eyes, having been under far worse glares viva her mother. "Educate. I said educate." Narrowing his eyes, he scoffed loudly. "Where in the world did you get corrupt from? Do you really think so little of me?"

Kushina withered rapidly under her fathers gaze, realizing she might have spoken out of turn. "I'm sorry otou-san, I didn't mean it like that."

"It's okay Kushina-chan, I forgive you." _'Now I just gotta make sure she's not around when I teach him. No way she'd let me live it down if she found out I was corrupting him.'_

"But I still don't get it!" Naruto whined.

"Naruto, listen to your oji-san." Kushina said in a berating fashion. In truth, she was learning just as much as Naruto was at the moment. Regrettably, she wouldn't be able to put any of it into practice; at least she'd be able to help Naruto's future posterity should they do something similar to what Naruto did.

Naruto huffed indignantly. He could tell that there was something they were keeping from him, but was regrettably uninformed. Seeing that no one was going to help him understand his question for now, he waited for Kamina to continue.

Seeing that Naruto wasn't going to interrupt for a moment, he moved on. "Now I did some research into why that was, and I discovered that it deals with how our bloodline subconsciously molds our chakra. Now pay attention, because this is important. What our bloodline is actually doing, is causing the tenketsu points to bounce chakra between each other rapidly. What this means is our chakra creates a loop, or ring if that helps you to visualize it better, that allows our chakra to increase in speed and density from overlapping."

Naruto tilted his head to the side, slowly taking in what he was saying. "So, is that how the chakra chains are made?"

Kamina grinned, "Good, you're getting it." Motioning to the blackboard, he gave it a sharp tap. The words that had previously been on the board shifted, remolding to an image of a person with tenketsu point marked all across the body with 'chakra' moving between each tenketsu point. "Once you get down tot eh chakra itself though, it gets more interesting."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, noticing that the yin-yang symbol was in the center of the person's chest. "Hey, I remember that. Kushina explained that stuff to me already."

"I'm sure she did." Kamina said as he tapped the blackboard again, causing the image to zoom in to the tenketsu points. "We're going to ignore that little symbol, and get down to the meat of the bloodline. This is where stuff gets tricky."

Moving between two of the tenketsu points, he continued in his exposition. "You already know about the difference between guys and girls use of our bloodline, so I'll skip straight to explaining the important information you don't know. Like what happens when you break your promises."

"I can break my promises?" Naruto asked with a wide eyed expression. "I thought I couldn't break my promises."

Despite the foreknowledge she'd received in her youth, Kushina seemed equally confused. "He can break his promises? Since when could he do that?"

"Since always?" Kamina replied, giving Kushina a 'are you kidding me' look. "I explained this too you a long time ago, remember?"

"…refresh my memory?"

Kamina grimaced, tapping the blackboard. "When you make a promise, you stimulate the tenketsu points in your entire throat region, which in turn stimulates the chakra going to your brain. This in turn makes your nervous system shoot faster then it would under normal circumstances, which makes your chakra do the same."

Naruto watched in amazement as the image responded to Kamina's words; showing the chakra in the throat becoming highlighted brighter then the rest of 'his' chakra, and then how it sped up throughout the body. After a moment though, his amazement was cut through as Han'ishiki spoke up. **"This is all really nice, but what does that have to do with breaking promises?"**

"I'm getting to that." Kamina tapped the blackboard again, getting a second person 'drawn' next to the first. The first person had his throat highlighted, indicating that he was representing an Uzumaki. "Now, here's where things get tricky. While most Uzumaki try to prevent their kids from breaking promises by telling them they couldn't if they wanted too, it's a lie. They can break their promises, if they either need too. What they should focus on though, is the consequences of breaking your promises."

The images on the blackboard began moving, the Uzumaki making motions as if to say something to the second image. When the second image 'replied', the Uzumaki made a nodding motion, his throat becoming highlighted to accentuate him making a promise. As they moved about though, the Uzumaki slowly began to back away; more then likely breaking whatever his promise was. When the second image had moved completely off the blackboard, the Uzumaki paused, his throat no longer highlighted. However, there was something else that made everyone tense up.

"**What the hell?"**

"Wh-what happened?" Hinata asked, trying to understand what she was seeing.

"Where did his chakra go?" Naruto asked, his voice betraying the large amount of shock he was currently feeling.

"Exactly." Kamina said, dragging his ruler across the image. "As you can see, there are certain consequences to your actions. If you break a promise, your chakra system shuts down."

Hinata gasped. "But, doing that would kill a person!"

Naruto and Kushina blinked, not quite sure when Hinata had become so vocal. Kamina, having never known the silent Hinata, just smiled. "Okay, so maybe a said that wrong. What it actually does is it forces our chakra to remain within our bodies, making any and all jutsu nullified until we fix the problem. Until then though, taijutsu would be that Uzumaki's only option."

Naruto slowly sank into a seated position, his mouth opening and closing rapidly as he tried to figure out what to say. For any shinobi, being unable to use jutsu's was close to a death sentence if a person who didn't know how to fight without them. He himself relied on using his shadow clones as shields and for other miscellaneous purposes. If he lost them, he had no idea how to adjust his fighting style to make up for the lack of their presence.

"I see you all understand how bad this is." Kamina cheerily said, drawing Naruto from his particularly deep funk.

"Could I use jutsu ever again?" Naruto asked.

"Of course, but it's all a matter of time." Kamina tapped the blackboard, making the chalk write out three words; vocal, contact, and blood. "For vocal promises, you'd be considered lucky if you were able to mold your chakra after three months."

"Three months!" Naruto and Kushina shouted.

"**Seriously? Three months before you can use chakra again?"** Han'ishiki muttered, shaking his head exasperatedly. **"That totally sucks."**

Kamina nodded. "It gets better. For contact promises, you'd be lucky if you were able to use jutsu after a year." Hearing no one complain about the time it would take to use chakra again, he continued. "For blood oaths…I don't know." Seeing the confused look, he explained further. "No one knows. No one's broken a blood oath and lived long enough to tell us when they start feeling their chakra again."

Hinata looked from Kushina to Naruto, noting their expression. Kushina looked shocked by the information, but was relatively calm notwithstanding. Naruto on the other hand, was completely blank. The shock of the information setting in seemed to be taking a moment for Naruto.

Han'ishiki was quite a bit faster on the uptake though, and found himself twitching as he realized what that potentially meant for them. **"Man, that would totally suck if baka here accidentally broke a promise in the middle of a fight. Going from using a powerful technique to having to fight with his fists would absolutely suck."**

"Good thing there's a way to reopen your tenketsu points."

Naruto's head snapped up, his eyes looking like they were about to pop out of their sockets. "What? How do I do it?"

Kamina grinned. "That's the best part. All you have to do forcibly reopen your tenketsu by expelling all your chakra at once."

"…that's it?" Kushina asked. After all that build up, it seemed too easy a solution. "All he has to do is expel his chakra?"

Kamina chuckled at her response. "Have you ever tried to expel chakra from _every_ tenketsu point, at the same time?" Seeing her shake her head, he smirked. "Didn't think so. It's much harder then it looks, and is impossible to simply learn on the fly."

Han'ishiki raised his hand. **"Hey, just a thought here, but what someone else forcing their chakra into a person? Would that work?"**

"What do you think this is, breaking a genjutsu?" Kamina paused, quickly amending his statement. "Well, that is actually one way to break a genjutsu, but that's completely beside the point right now. It requires so much chakra, I wouldn't suggest breaking any of your promises until you've got at least jonin level chakra reserves."

Naruto shifted nervously from his seated position. "I already have large chakra reserves."

Kamina blinked, absorbing what Naruto had said. Then, he started laughing loudly. It got to the point he had to grip his knees to keep himself upright from the lack of breath. "Oh man, that's so funny kid. You, having chakra reserves that big. There's no way you could possibly have that much charka." Pausing for a second, his laughter grew slightly as he tried getting his words out. "Unless…unless you're-you're a midget."

"Naruto-kun has large chakra reserves. I've seen them."

Kamina's laughter slowly died down. "Really now? And, just exactly _how_ did you manage that?"

"I'm a Hyuuga. My Byakugan allows me to see people's chakra systems, and how much chakra they have. When I was fighting my cousin, I remember seeing Naruto's chakra. He had almost as much chakra as his sensei who stood next to him." Hinata answered, her voice not stuttering once despite her obvious nervousness.

Naruto stared at Hinata in awe, his respect for her greatly increasing as he realized she was helping to defend him. When she glanced at him though, he averted his gaze. He felt an unusual warmth in his cheeks, unknowingly blushing.

Kamina leaned forwards, squinting his eyes to better look at Hinata; a feat in and of itself since she was trying her best to avoid eye contact. When he finally managed to get eye contact for long enough to see her eyes, he scoffed. "Well I'll be, Naruto's married to one of the Hyuuga clan. Main branch member too." Turning to Naruto, he shook his head slowly. "I'd congratulate you on the score, but she'll be nothing but trouble once her clan gets involved."

"Speaking of which, when did Naruto even make a marriage contract?" Kushina asked.

"Didn't I already answer that?" Kamina asked, looking between Kushina and Han'ishiki blankly. Seeing them shake their heads, he shrugged. "Alright, better explain that real quick."

"If we keep bouncing around like this, I'm not sure I'll remember all this." Naruto muttered. He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, and found a smile come to his face when he found Hinata trying to comfort him. When she saw he'd noticed her, she squeaked and pulled her hand back, causing an empty feeling that he couldn't quite explain.

"I won't forget, just let me explain this real fast." Kamina replied. "The way you make a marriage contract is actually rather simple. You make a blood oath, but instead of simply swearing it on your own blood, you swear it on a combination of your blood, and your spouse's blood. Literally combined together mind you. And there has to be a group around as witnesses of course, especially since one can't just make a promise like that without people seeing your conviction."

"But, but I don't remember making a promise with both our blood." Naruto muttered.

Everyone remained silent, trying to understand for themselves how Naruto might've made that promise. Kushina, Han'ishiki, and Naruto all knew _when_ he made the promise; the point where their both their blood had been combined.

"**Wait…"** Han'ishiki muttered. Replaying what had happened in his mind, he went over what had happened when he'd made the promise, and what had happened before it. It didn't take long to find what he was looking for. **"Oh crap, I know what happened. When Naruto fought Kiba he got his hand kind of mangled, and he didn't heal as fast as he normally does. So when Naruto picked up Hinata's blood, he must've accidently gotten some of his own blood by accident."**

Kushina and Naruto looked at each other. Kushina shrugged, not remembering what had happened to Naruto during his fight. Naruto on the other hand, didn't remember his fight against Kiba all that well. Luckily for him, he had a reference right behind him.

Turning around, he looked at the tapestry of his fight with Kiba. While he felt like he was being an idiot he continued to stare at it, remembering the picture that he'd seen when he'd first woken up in his mindscape.

Within a moment, the tapestry began to move, replaying the fight through his eyes. Mentally urging it onwards, he grimaced as he watched how Kiba and himself had clashed. Shortly after his victory, he saw it. All across his right had, which he distinctly remembered using to make his promise, were a plethora of cuts.

"Huh, that explains a lot." Naruto muttered, scratching the back of his head abashedly.

Kamina stared at the tapestry, huffing at the fact Naruto was – once again – ignoring him. He still had an important question to ask. "Okay now that we've answered your question, can someone explain to me why Naruto here has so much chakra? I mean, if he were some kind of genius, I'd get it; but he doesn't strike me as the 'genius' sort."

Han'ishiki shrugged, not seeing a problem with telling Kamina the truth. **"He's got the Kyuubi sealed in his gut."**

"W-what?"

Han'ishiki turned his gaze to Hinata, his eyes wide as he realized that Hinata hadn't known that Naruto was the Kyuubi jinchuuriki previously. **"…oops."**

Hinata stared at Naruto, her eyes filled with confusion and fear. "N-Naruto-kun. What does he mean?"

Naruto groaned, not sure of how to answer that question. He'd actually hoped that he could keep that particular secret from everyone for as long as possible. He wasn't a considerably bright man, but even he understood that there were things one needed to be discreet about. "Uh, well…" Sighing in resignation, he tried to put it as delicately as possible. "It uh, it means exactly what Han'ishiki said." Then again, delicately might be putting ones hopes up too high considering Naruto.

Luckily, Kamina appeared to be just as confused as Hinata. "Whoa, time out here. Naruto has the Kyuubi sealed in him? What happened to Mito-sama?" Holding up a hand, he held off their explanation. "Wait, I remember now. New question; what happened to you Kushina?"

"Uh…I died." Kushina said, getting an incredulous look from Kamina. "It's true. I don't remember what happened, but at some point after Naruto was born, the Kyuubi was removed from me, and put into Naruto."

"…well that was rather redundant. I already knew that information; what I need is to know _how_. Come on Kushina, there has to be more you remember." Kamina pleaded. Placing his hands on either shoulder, he gave her a light shake. "Anything at all, any information you might remember might be able to give us a way to point in the right direction."

Kushina shook her head. "I've been 'awake' for the last couple of months. No matter how I've tried to remember, I keep coming short. The very last thing I remember is the pain of giving birth to Naruto. Not only that, but at the time I was surrounded by some of the best healers in Konoha so I find it a bit difficult to think that I died during childbirth. It just…doesn't add up to me. I'm sorry."

Kamina nodded slowly, sighing in regret that he couldn't give advice or help beyond what he already was. "It's alright. *sigh* Alright then Naruto, we have one last prob…" Seeing Naruto staring off into space, Kamina grunted in frustration. "Oi, what's wrong?"

"Kaa-san…kaa-san had the Kyuubi before I did?" Naruto asked.

Kamina, Kushina, and Han'ishiki all winced when they heard Naruto say that. Two of them had forgotten to mention that to him, while Kamina realized he'd accidentally revealed something Naruto didn't know already. He'd already passed out once; him passing out a second time would make things more frustrating seeing as it would take more time to explain everything else.

Before they could say anything else, Hinata placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "M-maybe we should wait until we hear the rest of their explanation first."

Naruto's eyes glazed over as he nodded, his mind likely on the verge of overloading. The only currently keeping him from fainting again was sheer willpower, curiosity, and Hinata's presence.

Kushina groaned, taking a seat for herself. Somehow, trying to keep information from or with her father around was impossible as he'd start a seemingly random topic, and they'd end up spilling private secrets like they were discussing weather. He was so psychoanalytic, he missed the obvious things that anyone and everyone else noticed from miles away.

Like how he was still trying to finish his explanation. "Anyways, moving on now. Naruto having the Kyuubi in him means he's got another problem now. Like I said before, releasing oneself from a promise requires them to force all his tenketsu points open. The problem is, the Kyuubi's chakra is going to leak out of his seal at different power levels each time the chakra is sucked in and will likely screw up any and every attempt to open all his tenketsu points at the same time. In short, Naruto is a rarity amongst the Uzumaki clan; he absolutely _must_ keep his promises, unless he wants to be cut off from using jutsu for however long it takes."

Apparently this was not a good thing to say, as Naruto slowly fell onto his back with a loud thud. Han'ishiki sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. **"Great, he fainted again."**

"No, I'm just thinking." Naruto muttered from his now prone position. Staring up at the befuddled Hinata, he sighed. "Is having a bloodline supposed to be this hard?"

Figuring the question was directed at her, Hinata spoke up. "W-what do you mean?"

Naruto twiddled his thumbs for a second, thinking of what he wanted to get off his chest. "Well, when my kaa-san told me I had a bloodline, I was so happy about it. I thought I had something that would make me more awesome then Sasuke, and that would help me become Hokage faster. But now…now everything's got so much harder.

"Every time I think I understand how my bloodline works, I pull off something new or get hints to something that sounds awesome, but really isn't. I get super awesome stuff if I just keep my promises, and then find out if I don't follow through with them I won't be able to use chakra." Thrashing his fists in the air, he scowled. "And to top it all off, I don't get the ability to get out of it early, because the Kyuubi just so happened to be sealed in my gut. What else could go wrong?"

"Ano, the Ichiraku stand could be destroyed?" Hinata suggested.

Naruto shot to his feet like he'd caught fire, his face turning red in rage like he'd never been in before. "Who would _dare_ touch my beloved ramen stand? Point me to them so that I might tear them apart with my bare hands! Don't worry ramen, I'll avenge you!"

"**Oh look, Hinata fixed the baka."**

Naruto snapped his head around, growling at Han'ishiki. "You know you'd do exactly the same thing if that actually happened."

"…**maybe, but then again, I'm not the one with control over the body."**

Hinata giggled, a melodic noise that seemed to fill the whole chamber with the music it made. Naruto felt his heart skip a beat, his eyes blinking rapidly as he stared at Hinata in wonder. Noticing his attention, Hinata covered her mouth shyly, trying to stifle her laughter. It was in vain, as Naruto's expression didn't change and made him look so silly, she couldn't help but continue to giggle.

Naruto leaned close to Han'ishiki, whispering in his ear. "Have you ever heard anything like that before?"

"**Nope."**

"…I kinda like it."

"**Me too Naruto…me too."**

Entranced by her laughter, Naruto was given a sudden epiphany. He knew so little about Hinata, and had told her pretty much everything about himself from start to finish. But now she could talk back, and give him information that could be useful later. "Hey Hinata, is there any kind of food you'd react like that for?"

Hinata forced her giggles down, thinking about the question for a moment. "Ano, maybe cinnamon rolls?"

Naruto tilted his head to the side curiously. "We have cinnamon rolls in Konoha?"

Hinata nodded. "There's a bakery a few block from the Hokage's Tower that sells the best cinnamon rolls."

Off to the side, Kushina and Kamina watched as Naruto 'subtly' took notes about what Hinata liked and didn't like. Kamina grinned widely, chuckling to himself. "Well isn't he something?"

"He's something alright." Kushina said, a sad smile on her own face. She'd had no idea about more then half the things her father had told Naruto, and the other half she did, she'd only remembered because she'd been reminded. "Do you think he'd have turned out okay if he hadn't had activated his bloodline and met me?"

Kamina nodded. "I think so. He's got a good head on his shoulders, just like you've always had. I've never seen a shinobi with a moral compass that was so set in its ways. I know I would've been proud to call him my grandson."

"…thank you otou-san."

"Anytime Kushina-chan, anytime."

* * *

AN: Painful explanation is _painful_. But needed. Especially since I wanted to give you all a good reason as to why breaking a promise would be a _bad thing_.

So, recap; Naruto's bloodline gives him awesome mind and body boosts, but can take away his ability to use jutsu. Promises are serious business. Also, I thought about giving Naruto a chance to get out, but then remembered what I put in the summary, and why I put it there (hint, this chapter was a part of my plan [...I didn't mean to sound like Aizen right then, but I'm going to go with it]). Plus, it helps give you a sneak peak at the times for broken promise 'reboot' as it were. Remember those numbers, they will come in handy. Why? ...you likely won't see until I get back, but I'll see if I can possibly make it.

Kamina was a pain to write for. His personality was so dang difficult to pin down until the very end, he seemed all over the place. Thankfully, I just so happen to know what kind of a personality I had wanted for him, and was able to get a grip on him and maneuver him back to where I wanted him to go.

Also, Naruto will now have a few tricks to hit Hinata with once she wakes up. Then again, there are going to be several (appologies: this segment of Author's Notes was removed, due to excessive amount of future plot references. You may continue reading now) and it's gonna get messy before it's done.

Next time on Word of Honor; _Team 7 Reunites._ After so many chapters apart, the gang returns for a chapter to show off some growth, as well as some extra developments.


	37. Team 7 Reunites

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Word of Honor**

_Chapter 37: Team 7 Reunites_

Tsunade tapped the end of a pencil against her desk as she read over the paper before her for a second time. While she'd accepted her position as Hokage and had been trying to implement her new medical program, there was a surprising amount of opposition to her idea. Money, current lack of the medical teaching supplies she was requesting, and various other complaints. If anyone had told her that it would be this difficult, she wouldn't have thought much of it. Now, she'd be the first to say that politics were just a headache.

Hearing a knock at her door, she groaned. "Yes?"

There was a jiggling of the door handle as though someone was trying to open the door, without much success. A small yelp drew Tsunade's attention away from her paper. Recognizing the voice, she quickly scrambled out of her chair. Pulling open the door, she looked down to see Shizune on her hands and knees trying to pick up the stack of files she'd dropped trying to open the door.

"Shizune, you really need to stop doing stuff like this." Tsunade muttered.

"I-It's fine." Shizune said, frantically trying to replace the papers to their respective folders. "I'm just not used to carrying so many folders at once."

Tsunade sighed tiredly. "Here let me –"

"Yosh! Allow me to assist you youthful Shizune-san!"

Before Tsunade could help Shizune, Maito Gai suddenly blurred into existence next to Shizune. While Tsunade took a step back in surprise, Gai sped around Shizune, picking up and refilling the folders before their eyes. Shizune held up the only folder she'd managed to fully put back together as she stood, shifting nervously as she saw Gai easily holding all of the other files. "Um, thank you Gai-san."

"Don't mention it Shizune-san." Gai said, smiling widely. Shizune blinked in surprise when she noticed a flicker of light reflect off his teeth. "I was simply doing what any other person in their Springtime of Youth would do." Turning to Tsunade, he gave her a quick salute. "Maito Gai, reporting for duty."

"Ah yes, thank you Gai." Tsunade motioned him and Shizune in, requiring both for her next meeting. Once she was seated behind her desk once more, she addressed Gai slowly. "Gai, I understand that you have two students currently on active duty?"

"Yes Tsunade-sama. My most youthful students, Tenten and Neji, are still ready for their active duty." Becoming more sober, he softly continued. "My youthful student, Rock Lee, has not yet been healed so as to return to training and missions as well."

"I see." Tsunade said, motioning for Gai to bring over the folders. Flipping through the files, Tsunade began to scowl. "Okay, I know I asked for this file. Where's the stupid file at?"

Shizune flinched, holding out the one folder she'd picked up. "Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade paused in her flipping, gently taking the folder from Shizune and opening it. "Thank you Shizune. Now Gai-san, there is a special mission we have need of your assistance with. According to several reports we've received from our ally, Kusagakure no Sato, there have been several cases of their shinobi vanishing. I'm sending you as backup for the tracking team I'm sending to check the area."

"Yosh! I will perform my duty with the full strength of my Springtime of Youth!" Gai said vigorously. A few seconds later though, his expression became stone-like, crossing his arms over his chest as he addressed an issue he'd recognized earlier. "You asked my about my students. Is there something I should know?"

Tsunade nodded, pulling out a separate folder from her pile. "I need to utilize my resources as effectively as possible right now. Your student, Hyuuga Neji, received high marks from the Chunin Exam judges, but only in terms of skill. As such, I'm sending the two of them with a chunin leader on a C-ranked mission to take out a group of thugs who've set themselves up near the boarder."

Gai nodded, flipping through the file. "And you're informing so that I'll know where my students may be when I return?"

"Yes." Tsunade said, taking the file from Gai and handing him his chart instead. "I need you to meet up with your team, and get going as soon as possible. I'll be getting your students in here tomorrow to debrief them on their mission. You're dismissed."

Gai saluted Tsunade, quickly going out the door to find the team he'd be working with. A few seconds later, a new person walked in. "You wanted to see me Tsunade-sama?"

"Ah, Kakashi. Yes, please come in." Tsunade said, motioning him in.

Kakashi stepped in, looking from Tsunade to Shizune. "How can I help you Tsunade-sama?"

"I need you to do something for me." Tsunade said, tapping her desk hesitantly. "Of the rookie teams, you're the only jonin who had two members promoted. You also requested to take some time to train your third member, while one of your team, Uzumaki Naruto, was out on a mission." The corners of her mouth twitched upwards. "Searching for me, ironically enough."

Kakashi nodded. "Yes Tsunade-sama, this is true."

"Good to know." Tsunade said, pausing in mid tap before continuing. "I have a mission I need for you to perform."

**-xxxxx-**

Sasuke sat on the railing on the bridge where Team 7 normally met, fiddling with a set of bandages wrapped around his right arm. After everything he'd gone through training-wise with Anko, he'd learned that having protective gear of any sort meant he'd be able to cut down on the many times he got bitten by whatever snake she happened to summon in her strange method of helping him train.

Kicking his legs, he tested the weight of the shin guards he'd hidden under his pant legs, remembering how many times they had saved him from being poisoned. He'd thought about adding his chunin vest to help protect his torso, but several training sessions had shown him that it inhibited his movement just enough to frustrate him. And as he'd had it forcibly beaten into him by Anko, him being frustrated meant he made mistakes.

Taking a moment to quickly stretch, he shifted his eyes to the far side of the bridge with a look of curiosity. Slowly, it shifted to a superior smirk as he noted who was walking down the bridge towards him. Hopping down from his perch, he raised his hand in greeting. "Hey there Sakura."

"Oh, hi Sasuke-kun." Sakura said with bright smile, returning his wave with gusto. "How have you been?"

"I've been good, I suppose." Sasuke said, flashing back to the different training exercise's he'd been doing. He winced as he remembered the more brutal styled training regiment Anko had put him through. "I've been learning a lot over the last two months. How about you?"

"I've been learning a lot since the Chunin Exams ended." Sakura said, looking away sheepishly. "It's been a different experience, training for so long, so hard every day. I've really gained a respect for people who dedicate their lives to training."

Sasuke nodded, taking his first good look at Sakura for the first time since the end of the preliminaries. While he hadn't thought much of it, he _had_ noticed that there was a distinct lack of her presence following him around while he trained. Taking a good look at her now, he realized that she'd changed. A lot.

She was wearing her hiate as a headband like normal, with the red cloth she normally kept it a part of. The red dress she normally wore was slightly darker in shade, and had the sleeves rolled up to reveal her arms. To his surprise, it looked like her muscles were more predominant; not in a body builder sort of way, but more of a 'I've been working out' sort of way. The pieces of her clothing that had once been a green color were now black, making her look like she'd stand out less in the middle of the forest. She'd still stand out, but less. Similar to him, she'd gotten a pair of shin guards; unlike him, she also added a forearm guards as well to help protect her limbs. All in all, she looked like a serious, focused shinobi.

"You look…good." Sasuke said, finishing looking her over. To further compound his surprise, she didn't look quite as flustered as she might've been two months ago. While there was a small tint of red on her cheeks when she'd realized he was looking her over, that was the extent of her reaction. Sasuke chuckled. "You look like a serious kunochi."

"Thank you. You look good yourself." Sakura replied, her blush quickly fading away.

Sasuke grinned, leaning against the railing again. "Thanks." His eyes flitted from Sakura to the area behind her as a smirk crossed his face. "Hey, did you hear about the people who got promoted to chunin? Pretty cool stuff huh?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, I heard you and Shikamaru got promoted. Congratulations."

"Wait, you just heard about me and Shikamaru?" Sasuke asked, holding back a snort of laughter. "Don't you know there were other people who got promoted too?"

"Wait, really?" Sakura blinked in confusion. "Who else got promoted?"

"Hey guys." A surprisingly tired sounding Naruto called out from behind Sakura.

Sakura turned around to face, a surprisingly bright smile considering who she was about to talk to. "Hey Naruto, how…are…you…"

She trailed off, looking over Naruto in confusion. The only pieces of his outfit from the Chunin Exams that he was wearing were his sleeveless orange haori, his hiate belt, and his goggles. From what she could see, Naruto wasn't wearing the jumpsuit Lee and Gai wore, though he also wasn't wearing a shirt either. In place of the jumpsuit, he wore a pair of near skintight pants that were similar to Kakashi's, and his chunin vest with a high collar on the vest to help defend his neck.

Sakura's mind blanked as she quickly processed the one part she was shocked by; Naruto had a _chunin_ vest.

"Oh my gosh, you got promoted?" Sakura said happily. Whatever happiness she had quickly left though as she realized something. "Aw man, now I'm the only one who's not promoted."

"Don't worry Sakura-chan, we'll help you get promoted at the next Chunin Exam's." Naruto said optimistically. Turning to Sasuke, he grinned. "Won't we Sasuke?"

"Did you say something?" Sasuke asked, ignoring whatever Naruto said out of habit.

A vein on Naruto's forehead bulged out overdramatically. "Hey, I'm trying to help support Sakura-chan. Try and stay focus."

Sasuke looked between Sakura and Naruto in confusion. "What? What'd I miss?"

"I just left a scene like this a couple minutes ago."

Sakura spun around, surprise evident by her expression. "K-Kakashi-sensei! You're early!"

"I'm early?" Kakashi asked, looking around with a mystified look in his one visible eye. "I could've sworn I arrived on time."

"Yeah but, you _never_ arrive on time." Sasuke said, scrutinizing Kakashi carefully.

Kakashi looked between his students, noting the suspicious looks each of them were giving him. Raising his hands in surrender, he laughed lightheartedly. "Hey guys, no need to be suspicious. Tsunade-sama asked me to run a quick team exercise to see how everyone's improved in the last two months." Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out a pair of bells. "Look familiar?"

Upon seeing the bells, the three youth scowled. None of them had a fond memory to remember involving the bells beyond their becoming genin. Naruto shifted uncomfortably, having had the most painful experience of the three with Kakashi using the Sennen Goroshi (One Thousand Years of Death) on him.

"Oh good, you do remember." Kakashi said cheerily. Holding up an alarm clock, he grinned beneath his mask. "Then you remember the rule of engagement, right?"

"Yeah, we remember." Naruto muttered, eyes never leaving the bells as they swung back and forth. He was determined to get a bell this time around, and now he had actual skill to back himself up with.

Plus, after the mental overload he'd recently received, having a viable outlet for his frustration and confusion would do him some good.

"Great. We'll meet at the training ground we held this on previously." Kakashi said happily. With a flourish of the bells and quick wave, he burst into smoke.

Sakura turned from the bridge, taking a brief glance behind her to look between where Kakashi had been and where the training grounds were. "Hey guys? Isn't that training ground on the other side of the village?"

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other, giving each other a wide eyed glance. Both cursing loudly, they began to race to the training ground as quickly as they could, with Sakura hot on their heels.

**-xxxxx-**

"You're late."  
The members of Team 7 grimaced at Kakashi's horrible sense of humor, knowing good and well that they'd lost time since they'd had to run across the village to get there.

"Bite me." Naruto muttered under his breath, the least winded of the three.

Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow at Naruto's statement. "Do you know what that means?"

"No, but I know it's supposed to be mean." Naruto replied.

Kakashi nodded. "Okay then. Now that you're finally here, let's –"

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)!"

"…begin."

Naruto's three clones surged forwards, doing what Naruto was originally best known for as they blindly charged forward. In the mean time, Naruto grabbed his teammates by their collars and gave them a light tug towards the forest. He'd worked mainly with his clones, but since they'd had time to have a brief team planning on their way there, they understood.

Kakashi watched in interest as the three of them ducked into the forest, dodging around the clones as they ducked and weaved in and out of his strike zone. _'Well I'll be, Naruto's really grown up since he became a genin. Of course, being a chunin will be a whole other game to play, but I'm glad to see he's improved.'_

Meanwhile, Naruto stopped a short ways away, looking back over his shoulder as his two teammates landed besides him. "Okay…what do we know about Kakashi-sensei?"

Sasuke and Sakura exchanged glances, both knowing they weren't going to like how they odds were currently stacked against them. Finally, Sakura spoke. "He's an elite jonin, one of the finest members of Konoha's forces. He has a Sharingan in his left eye, and has used it to copy over one thousand jutsu's. He knows a variety of taijutsu styles, is definitely strong, and is faster then Lee was with his weights off."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the last pieces of information. "I don't remember seeing him use that much taijutsu when he fought all of us."

"He taught me a few things when I asked him to help me improve." Sakura said, restraining a small wince as she remembered how that had gone down. "He was brutal, but the results speak for themselves."

Naruto grinned. "What did he teach you?"

Back with Kakashi, things were not going quite as easily as he thought they would. Granted, he was still going pretty easy on Naruto's clones, but he was currently fighting at the level he'd originally used against Sasuke which was a single step above where he'd been before. The main issue he currently had was that whenever he'd think he'd get a grip on one of them, one of the others would break his grip and they'd back away while the third covered them. Short spaced hit and run tactics; something that no one else could claim to be capable of since to do so would be borderline suicidal.

"Okay Naruto, the kid gloves are off." Kakashi muttered. Reaching to either side of himself, he gripped two of the Naruto's collars and yanked them towards one another. With a crash of their heads, they disappeared into a cloud of smoke. The third Naruto tried to capitalize on this opening, only to find himself running straight into Kakashi's foot. "Now that the distractions are gone, it's time to find the real you."

Heading off into the woods, Kakashi had little difficulty following their scent to where his team was hiding. They weren't quite as conspicuous as they had been the first time they'd done this, but it was still too easy. And they were still discussing their plans, something he'd be sure to take advantage of disrupting.

Leaping down behind them, he looked behind Naruto. Naruto, unaware of his presence, kept talking. "And then we'll sneak up and grab the bells. Kakashi-sensei won't know what hit him." Sasuke and Sakura stared up at Kakashi, ignoring what Naruto had said in favor of being properly concerned about what was behind him. "Oh come one guys, it's a great plan. I mean he won't even see it come…ing…he's right behind me isn't he?"

"Yo."

Naruto yelped, spinning around only to fall onto his butt. He and the other two looked like they were so startled they couldn't speak. When Kakashi smirked in his small victory though, they all started laughing. That in and of itself was strange, but what was truly strange was how they seemed to match each others laugh.

By the time Kakashi realized what was wrong, Sasuke and Sakura had already revealed themselves to be shadow clones, and all three of them had begun to blow themselves up with Bunshin Bakuha (Clone Explosion). Only a timely use of the Kawarimi (Body Replacement) kept Kakashi from singing his eyebrows.

"What the hell?" Kakashi muttered. That particular kind of tactic was potentially lethal, and was not at all what he'd been expecting.

"What's the matter Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto's voice echoed from all around him, though Kakashi quickly picked where he was hiding. "I thought one of the rules was come at you with the intent to kill?"

Kakashi laughed sheepishly. "Ah, that's right. But then, you guys didn't really have lethal attacks like that back then."

Sasuke charged out of the underbrush, spitting out balls of fire as he went. Kakashi ducked around the fire, moving in to stop Sasuke's barrage. By the time Sasuke realized what Kakashi was doing, it was too late. Kakashi drew back his fist, swung it forwards…

…only for Sasuke to disappear into a burst of smoke and a strange new weight to suddenly weigh down his arm.

"I'm gonna win Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said, grinning from his position on Kakashi's arm. Using Kakashi's arm as a pivoting point, he swung his leg viciously into Kakashi's head. Kakashi had barely a second to block it before, he had to twist his arm awkwardly to block the second kick Naruto attempted to strike him with. Drawing his arm away from blocking to strike back at Naruto, he felt the weight transfer from his first arm to his blocking arm a second before a fist managed to hit him in the face.

For Naruto and his team, that was by far the _last_ thing they expected to happen. After all, Kakashi was nigh untouchable during their fight with him; they were amazed to think that they'd really grown so much. So, instead of utilizing that momentary advantage they'd gained, they all stared at Kakashi with wide eyes.

Kakashi scowled, reminding them of what they were supposed to be doing. "Okay, maybe I should stop underestimating you guys." Reaching up, he lifted his hiate that usually covered his left eye, revealing his Sharingan in all its glory. "Let's try that again, shall we?"

Naruto didn't bother responding, racing forwards as quickly as he could. He'd already activated his Sokusensokketsu no Jutsu (Blitzkrieg Technique), so his speed was fast enough to disappear from his teammates sights. To Kakashi, he saw exactly what Naruto was doing, and made to intercept him before he did so. Naruto skid to a halt when he felt Kakashi's presence in front of him, and it was only thanks to his nerve-enhancing technique gave him the moment he needed to bend over backwards to avoid the kick that swept over his head.

Unable to get away, Naruto was forced to engage in close quarters combat with his sensei. Kakashi, being the better taijutsu user, quickly had him backing away from his sensei in an attempt to get more space. Dodging and weaving, Naruto managed to avoid the brunt of the strikes. Not enough to keep him safe by any stretch of the imagination, but enough to allow his teammates some leeway for the next part of their plan.

"Katon: Orochi no Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Grand Fireball of the Eight-Headed Snake Technique)!"

Kakashi paused in his assault, turning to look to where the voice had come from. His eyes widened in surprise as a giant fireball came rushing towards him. The really strange part though, was that instead of simply being a flaming ball of death, it looked to be a mass of serpents intertwining themselves one with another as they raced forwards. Giving Naruto a quick glance, he leapt out of the way of the technique. Before he'd gotten too far, one of the heads seemed to break off from the ball and lash out towards him. With the timely usage of the Kawarimi though, he managed to avoid the flaming snake of death. _'Looks like Anko's been giving him more pointers then I thought.'_

Meanwhile, Naruto took a moment to catch his breath. Now standing next to Sasuke, he turned to give him an odd look. "What the heck was that?"

"That was a variant of my grand fireball. If they escape the initial fire, then one of the snakes will break off and try to get them." Sasuke said smugly, knowing that he'd almost gotten a hit on Kakashi. Chuckling nervously, he admitted, "It's got a short range though, so I leave myself open if they dodge and try to counterattack."

"I figured that." Naruto muttered, pointing to where he'd once been standing. "I want to know what _that_ was! How did I go from there to here?"

"Oh that." Sasuke muttered, waving his hand flippantly. "That's not important right now. Right now, it's time to see if we can make Kakashi-sensei bleed."

Sasuke paused, noting his action, and what he'd just said. _'…you've got to be kidding me. I'm saying things, and making actions like her too?'_ Noting Naruto's fuming expression, he hid a smirk. _'Hm, then again, I can see why she finds if fun now.'_

"You certainly have gotten better you two." Kakashi said from behind them. Both of them flinched as they slowly turned to look up to him. "But then, I swore you both knew what this exercise was about by now. It seems I'm going to have to remind –"

"Sharrano!"

Kakashi looked upwards, expecting to see Sakura falling from the treetops. Instead, he felt a pain from his left hip, where he'd clearly been hit from behind. Turning to face Sakura, he lashed out with a fierce side-kick that made her fly back through the trees. In that moment, he left himself wide open to Naruto and Sasuke.

A now somewhat familiar weight gripped Kakashi's back, gripping him by the shoulder so as to keep them apart while his legs wrapped around his waist. Before Kakashi could get Naruto off, Sasuke had already begun moving, slamming his fist into Kakashi's stomach. It didn't have nearly enough power behind it though, which left Sasuke open to the heel of Kakashi's foot, which sent him into a tree. Hopping back, Kakashi pinned Naruto between himself and another tree. Hearing the yelp of surprise and the loosening of the arms around him, Kakashi swung around and pinned Naruto to the tree with his forearm.

"Not bad Naruto, but you're still missing the point." Kakashi scolded.

Naruto chuckled, the sound coming out hoarse and raspy. "Nope."

"We already have the bells Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi blinked, turning around to see Sakura and Sasuke grinning with a bell in their hands, bouncing them lightly. Despite how they seemed to be bouncing the bells, there was no sound coming from them. Frowning, he listened for other outside noises.

When he began to realize he couldn't hear any of the outside noises, Sakura grinned. "What's the matter Kakashi-sensei? Missing something?"

"Ketsuraku Onkan no Jutsu (Missing Sense of Sound Technique)." Kakashi groaned. It was a technique he'd taught Sakura at her request, to help defend her against Oto shinobi who used techniques like Dosu had used during the preliminaries. Shortly after he'd taught her the technique, she'd taken to the technique like a fish to water, and had shown him several times that with the natural control she had, it was rather difficult to tell when she'd cast it.

"Yep!" Sakura said, looking quite pleased with herself.

Letting Naruto fall to the ground, Kakashi checked himself for the bells to ensure that it wasn't another genjutsu. After going through the normal methods of dispelling genjutsu, and only hearing the sounds around him returning, he conceded to his students. "Alright, that wasn't half bad. When did you get the chance to put the genjutsu on me Sakura?"

"When you used the Kawarimi to avoid Sasuke's fireball." Sakura replied.

Nodding he tapped where the bells had once been curiously. "And the bells?"

"When I kicked you, Sasuke grabbed them from your belt."

"So, when he punched me?" Kakashi asked, turning to Sasuke.

Sasuke looked away sheepishly. "Uh, before that. I just didn't want to be the only one who couldn't say that I've hit you in a fight."

Kakashi and the rest of the team had a sweat drop of disbelief. Had this come from Naruto, they might've believed it; to hear it from Sasuke, it just sounded surreal.

Shaking off his disbelief, Kakashi motioned for the bells back. "Okay guys, you did great. Much better then you first did." Once he had the bells back, he lowered his hiate over his Sharingan eye. "Now, I want you to tell me what your thoughts are about this test."

"When we weren't acting on our own, we were able to get the bells much faster, and without as much problems." Sakura said first.

Sasuke went next. "Since we know more tricks, had more experience, and more about each others tricks, we didn't second guess what we could do."

They all turned to Naruto, who seemed to be much deeper in thought. After a couple of minutes, he finally spoke. "We need to get stronger, if we want to win without almost losing a member of out team."

There was a moment of silence as they took in what he'd said. After a couple of seconds, Kakashi sighed. _'Naruto, you're truly becoming more like your father every day.'_ Smiling beneath his mask, he chuckled lightly. _'I have no doubt that you'll be able to do exactly what you want.'_

"Alright then," Kakashi said with a clap of his hands. "Now that we're done with that warm up, time for you guys to go get yourselves a mission." Pointing to Sakura, he continued. "You on the other hand, are going to come with me on a few D-ranked missions today."

Sakura blinked, before groaning loudly in frustration. Sasuke and Naruto patted her gently on her shoulder before skipping out to head off to the Hokage's Tower. It was a good day to be a chunin.

**-xxxxx-**

Hidden away from the city, Izo tapped the arm of his chair angrily. He'd been waiting patiently for the last two months for a report on a small project he'd initiated. While it wasn't uncommon for them to take their time getting back, this particular project was time sensitive.

"Izo-sama."

Izo slowly turned to face the man he'd sent out, a smirk on his face as he recognized who it was. "Ah Ichigo, you have finally returned. What news do you bring?"

Ichigo stepped forwards, a skull-like mask over his face revealed as he stepped forwards and kneeled before Izo. "I apologize for how long I was away, however I had to ensure that my mark didn't recognize what had been done."

Izo nodded slowly. "So, how is our Hyuuga?"

Ichigo smirked. "He's completely unaware of my tampering. I even had time to place the sealing array on the back of his hiate, to ensure that we'll be able to cover all of our bases for this experiment."

Izo nodded. It was expected for all of those who worked under him that they make sure that nothing could go wrong. And with what he'd had Ichigo do, there could be no room for error. If there was an error, the results would likely be catastrophic. "And the original seals condition?"

"Since I placed the seal at the end of the Chunin Exam's, I have yet to see any complications." Ichigo answered.

"Good." Izo muttered. Tapping the armrest of his chair rapidly, he thought over their next course of action. "And how long until we can activate the seal?"

"I'd say a week, maybe a week and a half." Ichigo said, mentally going over how long it might take. "If you want, I can follow him to ensure that when I activate the seal he reacts on time."

"Do that. I want no mistakes from this." Izo said, giving Ichigo a small wave. "You're dismissed."

Ichigo bowed lower, before making his way out. Just before he'd completely left, he ran into a familiar face; a familiar half a face, since the lower half of his face was covered. "Hello Yuudai, how's the hunt?"

Yuudai growled at Ichigo. "Piss off Ichigo. I've got a report to give."

"I'll take that as a 'no', and 'the trails gone cold'." Ichigo said in a smug tone.

Yuudai's growl grew as Ichigo bumped past him, scowling under his facemask as he heard Ichigo chuckle. Marching to Izo, he fell quickly to his knees and bowed to Izo. "I have returned Izo-sama."

"I see that." Izo said, his voice lowering threateningly. "How has the search for Tadao been going?"

"We've made progress, but he has managed to lose us." Yuudai replied, making sure to not laugh out loud as he thought about how Tadao had managed to lose them.

Since Tadao had traveled with him for years, he'd learned a great deal of tricks about the Inuzuka, and their noses. Being out of their scent range was one way to lose them, but Tadao had managed to learn an even better method. During one test mission, he'd taken pieces of his clothing and spread it across the city and on several paths that led out of the city. He'd then hidden himself in the city for several months before he'd reunited with Yuudai on his own terms. It had been a sad day for Yuudai and his tracking companions, but it had also had let Yuudai know something. It had solidified his belief that one day, when he needed a distraction Tadao would prove more then adept at doing so.

"This is inconceivable. How is it, that amongst our finest trackers, he has managed to evade your pursuit?" Izo asked, roughly gripping his chair. Yuudai winced as he heard the armrest of the chair creak in protest to the action; a testament to the older man's still ever powerful strength. Before Yuudai could attempt to quell Izo's anger, Izo took a deep breath and released his chair slowly. "Never mind, that will come later. I need you to do a search of a different sort for now."  
"A…different sort of search?" Yuudai asked tentatively.

Izo nodded. "Yes. Our ranks were unharmed, but it has enlightened the youth of Konoha, and opened the eyes of more then a few of them. Now, I need you to go out and find some of those who would be able to serve my purpose. You will find them, ensure they understand the gravity of the situation, and then train them to be ready."

Yuudai nodded. "Of course Izo-sama. May I ask, how long should I plan on this mission being?"

"Two to three years, minimum." Izo replied. "I am no stranger to the slow growth the unmotivated youth of today seem to be going through, and its effect. As such, I give you permission to do whatever it takes to bring them around, and get them to improve as quickly as humanly possible."

"It will be done Izo-sama." Yuudai said, bowing his head.

As Yuudai left, Izo chuckled. "Yes. Soon, very soon, our plans will come into its fullest glory."

* * *

AN: More chapter stuff, coming fast. I can't believe I've gotten to this chapter so fast. If I'm lucky, I might be able to get through this arc before the end of August...if the fight scenes don't give me and my muse trouble like they did in the Chunin Exam arc.

The fight scene felt rushed to me, but then Kakashi was expecting them to be better post-time skip, not so much now. Plus, while he _did_ help Sakura train, he was focusing more on the two who he'd seen little of for the last two months. Thus, she got the drop on him...for a moment.

And plot devices! Man, I hope I can type fast enough to get there. The arc after this arc...well...I'm not gonna say anything. Not yet at least, other then it's a twist or two that you _shouldn't_ see coming.

Next time on Word of Honor; _The Problem With Hospitals._ Naruto visits the hospital, and he learns that not everything is quite as easy as he wishes they could be.


	38. The Problem with Hospitals

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Word of Honor**

_Chapter 38: The Problem with Hospitals_

Ino groaned as she checked her appearance in the mirror. Despite her doctor's attempts to inform her that her injury had been seen to with great care, she still had to wake up each morning with the discomforting knowledge that she had a thin scar across her throat that would forever mare her appearance. How was she going to get Sasuke's attention looking like this?

With a small whine of desperation, she finally tore her gaze from the glass. She was already dressed in her normal clothes, and was going to be discharged as soon as her team came to get her. Now all she had to do was wonder where her lousy (and lazy) teammates were so they could pick her up and get her out of here. It was bad enough to visit Choji when he'd gotten into the hospital for eating too much (_again)_; staying there for two months though had started making her go stir crazy.

Flopping on her bed, she wondered what had been happening to the village while she'd been in the hospital. In her own words, she was a girl with her 'ear to the ground'. She loved to hear information and be in the know, no matter who it was about, or what it truly meant. Just knowing that tiny piece of information made it so much easier to talk to the person the next time the met.

"Except for Sasuke-kun." Ino muttered, covering her eyes in an attempt to shield herself from the light, and from shame.

Despite any and all attempts to get any sort of 'juicy scoop' on Sasuke, there just didn't seem to be _anything _which she could use to talk to him with. He was a perfect guy, who kept his nose out of trouble, and for all intents and purposes was as much of a ghost to the social community as Naruto was a flashing neon sign.

Pausing in her thoughts, she bolted upright with a grin across her face. There was the answer to her problem; she'd get Naruto to give her a couple of inside scoops so that she could start up a conversation with Sasuke. Why she hadn't thought to do that before was beyond her. It was a brilliant plan. Except…she had no idea where to look for Naruto.

She'd run into Naruto before, but actively looking for him had never been an issue. Silently mulling it over, she tried to thing of where she could find him. _'Training grounds? Maybe, but I don't know which one, and it would take too long to go to all of them. Hokage Tower? Nah, he'd probably get his mission and leave as soon as he could. Ramen stand? Hm, he is a devout ramen eater. That would probably be the quickest way to find him. I mean, it's not like he's gonna randomly pop up here at the hospital.'_

"Excuse me, miss nurse person? How do I get to room two-eleven?"

"Oh it's just down the hall, to your right, second door on your left."

"Thanks!"

'…_wait what? Was that Naruto?'_

Ino scrambled out of her bed, ripping the door nearly off its hinges as she peaked out of her room. There, walking down the hall like a blond and orange beacon, was Naruto.

"Well I'll be." Ino whispered, watching Naruto disappear around the corner. Remembering the directions the nurse had given him, Ino scurried after him. From what she'd seen, Naruto had been carrying something or another in his hand, which meant it was likely something for whoever was in room two-eleven. Grinning impishly, she bolted down the hall, rounded the corner, and slid to a quick stop before the second door on her right a second after the door had closed.

Pressing her ear to the door, she began listening intently. After all, any dirt she could potentially get between Naruto and Sakura - Sakura being the only person she could see Naruto coming to the hospital to see - meant she could use it to get Sakura to back off from Sasuke, and then victory would be hers. Now all she had to do, was wait.

**-xxxxx-**

Hinata was bored. She wouldn't ever admit it to anyone, she was too kind a person to dismiss the hospital's hospitality like that. However, with all the pent up energy from not being allowed to move for two months, and having been comatose for over a month and a half of that two months, she was starting to go stir crazy.

Gently rubbing the area around where she'd had a needle keeping her alive weeks earlier, she couldn't help but frown. Having only awakened recently, no one had been told she'd awakened yet, which meant she hadn't had any visitors yet. As such, she was still very unaware of what had happened while she was asleep for all that time; though admittedly, the nurses had chattered about a few things while they'd thought she was asleep.

Rumors had flirted about; many things about the invasion, the Hokage's apparent death, destruction of the city, and a new Hokage. While she didn't know him well, she was saddened to hear about his death; he'd been a great leader, and a wise grandfatherly figure to many people. It had admittedly taken a while before another realization occurred to her; or rather, she realized there was someone who would likely be greatly affected by this change in leadership. Naruto.

It was his dream to become Hokage, and yet he wasn't yet strong enough to take up the position. Plus, Naruto had likely believed that he'd be taking the position from the elderly Hokage himself; another blow that would cripple anyone else.

Of course, Naruto wasn't just anyone else. While she knew that Naruto did have his moments of weakness like everyone else, he'd proven time and again that he could pick himself back up and move along. She herself was absolutely certain that if she'd been the one experiencing a loss of that magnitude, she'd lock herself away and hide from the world for as long as she could.

Before she began to sink further into her self-loathing, there was a gentle knock at her door. Startled, she stared at the door in confusion. The nurses never bothered to knock, and there was no one else who knew to come yet…which narrowed the list of people who'd be knocking at her hospital door.

Figuring it was likely a member of the Branch House sent by her father, she raised her voice slightly. "Come in."

When the door opened, she had the briefest of moments to wonder if she was dreaming before his voice – a voice she _never_ heard in her dreams – spoke. "Hey Hinata-chan."

"N-N-N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata managed to stutter out. Surprisingly, while she thought she'd whispered it, the way Naruto perked up, she'd most likely yelled it and startled him. Not that surprising, seeing as she'd never raised her voice before.

Naruto shuffled in, chuckling nervously. "Uh, yeah. I was in the neighborhood…and decided to stop by." A perfectly lame excuse; he'd actually pestered Tsunade shortly after his promotion until she'd agreed to inform him of when Hinata was awake and able to see visitors.

Hinata blinked at Naruto's nervousness, not accustomed to nervousness from Naruto. While she'd seen him happy, despondent, and even angry, _nervous_ just didn't fit with how she knew Naruto acted. Yet here he stood, scraping the toe of his sandal in a nervous fashion, completely unable to make eye contact, and shifting a bag he had from hand to hand.

Naruto caught her watching him shift the bag around curiously, chuckling at the sight. "Uh, I got you these on my way here."

Placing the bag next to Hinata, he slowly slid himself into the chair next to her bed. Hinata leaned forwards, gently taking the bag and placing it on her lap. Gently pulling either side, she found herself melting at the aroma that popped out of the bag. Reaching in tentatively – with almost reverent motions – she pulled out what she knew was in the bottom of the bag; a cinnamon bun.

"You got, how, when did, why?" Hinata asked, too many questions darting through her mind as she tried to figure out how Naruto knew about her love of cinnamon buns. As far she knew, only a handful of people knew how much she enjoyed the delectable sugary treats of excellence; most of which she knew Naruto wouldn't have thought to ask about what Hinata liked.

To make it worse for poor Hinata, she knew the store bag Naruto had brought the buns in. If he'd just 'picked them up' because he was 'in the neighborhood', he would have had to have run almost two miles without stopping to get there before they became cold. Taking a small bite out of the bun, she could feel the warmth seeping with the tantalizing taste that she knew and loved.

"I don't really like hospital food, and when I heard you were here, I figured that you wouldn't like it either." Naruto muttered, scratching his cheek. Despite all of his preparations and devious planning, he felt awkward now that he was here. He'd figured that knowing more about Hinata would equal an easier conversation starter. Now he was just trying to figure out how to talk to her without sounding like he'd been stalking her.

Hinata munched on her bun, trying to keep the look of utter joy from her face as she did so. Naruto appeared oblivious to her, so she took a bite that was just a bit bigger then normal while he looked away. Chewing and savoring the flavor, she relished in the almost long forgotten treat. Hearing a noise off to the side, she turned in confusion. Seeing Naruto waiting patiently, she realized that he'd actually asked a question. Before she could ask what he'd asked, she realized she still had her mouth full. Mortified by her lapse of etiquette, she turned away as her cheeks flushed.

Naruto, thinking he'd said something wrong, held up his hands somewhat defensively. "I-if you don't want to answer, that's okay. I shouldn't have asked."

Hinata held up a hand, chewing her food as quickly as she could to speak. "S-sorry Naruto-kun. What did you say?"

Naruto opened his mouth to speak, looking dazed as he tried to understand what he'd just heard. "Uh, I just wanted to know if your family's come to see you. You know, since you've been awake and all."

Hinata chewed on her lip, thinking over how to answer the question. Turning to look to her left, she gazed out the window as she tried to remember who all had come to see her. "I don't know." Hinata answered, hearing a groan come from Naruto. Surprised by the sound she gave Naruto an incredulous look. "What?"

Naruto rubbed his face gently, looking rather flustered. "That's the only thing I can think to ask you." Groaning again, he placed his face into his hands. "I really should've thought this through before coming."

Hinata tilted her head in a rather cute fashion, not that Naruto could see, as she gently prodded Naruto. "Ano, Naruto-kun?"

"Hm?" Naruto muttered from his hands.

"What's been going on in the village?"

There was a short pause. Then, Naruto smacked his forehead in exasperation. "Oh yeah, you don't know what's been going on in the village." Popping back up into a more cheerful expression, he grinned widely. "So, what do ya wanna know?"

Hinata felt herself sway lightly, thankful that she was already seated in the hospital bed. Taking a second to compose herself, she began to ask a few questions. She wanted to know as much as she could, but she also didn't want to tread on anything painful, like the topic of the Hokage's death and the newly instated Hokage. Instead, she asked questions about more lighter topics; like how things were going in the city. Amazingly, despite her attempt to keep from stumbling onto the painful topics, Naruto managed to tie in everything she'd been trying to avoid; not difficult, seeing as the village was mainly destroyed by the invasion, and Naruto had been out of the village for over a month.

Still, what amazed her most was that Naruto didn't react how she'd expected.

"Oh, and then we went off to Tanzaku-gai!" Naruto exuberantly exclaimed. "And you'll never guess who we met there. We got to meet Tsunade!"

Hinata's eyes widened in amazement as she was practically on the edge of her hospital bed after only five minutes of discussion. "T-Tsunade-sama? You mean one of the Sannin?" Her mouth opened and closed, her mind processing what he'd told her. "You've managed to meet two of the legendary Sannin?"

Naruto grinned. "I did more then that! I made a bet with her and brought her back to Konoha to be the Godaime!"

If Hinata had been drinking, she would have probably done a spit-take from the shock of what Naruto had said. "Y-y-you brought her back? To be Hokage?"

"Uh…sorta." Naruto said, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "Jiraiya actually brought her back to be Hokage. I…I had another reason for bringing her back."

"What sort of reason?" Hinata prodded, her curiosity overcoming her shyness for the moment. Hearing an amazing, almost fiction-like story like Naruto's, she couldn't help herself. "And what kind of bet did you make?"

Naruto winced, mentally jabbing Han'ishiki to try and help him work out what to say. To his surprise, he felt a foreign presence jabbing back. _'Eh? Who's this?"_

_:: Naruto-kun, just be honest. ::_

He couldn't help but feel confusion when he recognized the voice. _'Hinata-chan?'_

_:: Answer her! ::_ Kushina shouted from some other part of Naruto's mind.

Shaking his head, he began his tale. "Uh, reason? Well, I did it…I did it for…" Naruto winced. "Wow, his is harder then I thought."

**:: Wimp. ::**

'_Shut it Han'ishiki.'_

"Is it a…a secret?" Hinata asked, knowing better then to ask for something that might get Naruto in trouble.

"No, it's not a secret. It's just…I feel weird saying it." Naruto said, the last part barely coming out as a whisper.

Slowly, and _very_ hesitantly, Hinata placed herd hand on Naruto's. "Naruto-kun, you can trust me. I promise."

Naruto stared into her eyes, feeling like an electric current had been run across his chest with those simple words. Feeling his courage return, he finally spoke. "I went to get Tsunade so she could heal you."

Hinata's breath hitched, caught off guard by what Naruto had said. If she were to be honest with herself, she wasn't really sure that there was anything she'd actually expected to hear Naruto tell her. But to hear that Naruto had actually gone out of his way to get a renown healer for _her_ seemed…surreal.

"You…you went to get Tsunade-sama f-for me?" Hinata asked, her voice just barely above a whisper.

Naruto nodded. "You were comatose, and when I heard about how Tsunade was the greatest medic in the world, I figured I'd give it a shot." Naruto glanced off to the side. "It was a close thing though. If I hadn't gotten lucky, I don't think I could've got her to come back."

"Why not Naruto-kun?"

Naruto chuckled humorously. "Well, let's just say, I didn't say a lot of nice things to her when she got on me for wanting her to help you.

Hinata found herself torn between wincing at what Naruto might've said, and swooning at the fact that Naruto had stood up to someone out of his league in an attempt to defend her. It was touching in a way.

"Then again, I'm just glad she didn't just pound my skull into the ground when I made the bet that I could beat her in a fight." Naruto shivered at the memory of the fight, knowing that when she'd lashed out for that one moment he'd seen the full impact of her strength. When he'd tried to piece that imagery into what it might've done to him, he generally saw his body sticking comically out of the ground with the top half of his body buried.

"You _fought_ her?" Hinata said, staring at Naruto with an expression of awe. A little trick that the Byakugan had taught the Hyuuga was how to read muscle movements, which made them close to being living lie detectors. Since Hinata had spent plenty of time around Naruto, she could see he wasn't lying.

"Yeah, that was the bet." Naruto replied, not surprised by her reaction. "If I won, she'd come back and heal you. If she won, I'd quit being a shinobi."

One could hear a pin drop when he'd said that. For Naruto, it was reminiscing what had been the dumbest promise he could've made – one he found that, if the circumstances were the same, he'd make again without hesitation. For Hinata, there was much more going on in her head.

'_He bet his shinobi career…to get Tsunade to come back and heal me?'_ Hinata thought, feeling nauseous. While it was a gallant thing to do, the thought of Naruto giving up everything he'd ever wanted, for her, didn't sit well with her. She just didn't feel she was worth that kind of risk.

Amazingly, she didn't blow up when she finally spoke. The etiquette lessons that had been drilled into her head since youth took charge, keeping her calm despite her inner turmoil. "I see." Thinking hard about the situation, she brightened as she thought of something. "Ano, if you'd lost, couldn't you have kept being a shinobi anyways? Since Tsunade-sama hasn't been in the village, and wouldn't have come back to the village without you, she would never have known you were still a shinobi."

Naruto shook his head. "It's not that simple."

"Why not?"

"It's-it's just not." Naruto muttered. In the back of his mind, Han'ishiki, Kushina, Hinata, and Kamina – oddly enough – were all trying to tell him something, but were overpowering each other.

"But if you did that, you'd give up everything." Hinata said softly, gripping his hand in her own; having not let go of his hand since she'd gripped it earlier. "Why couldn't you have just been a shinobi if you lost?"

"Because I can't break my promises." Naruto snapped.

Hinata sighed, thinking she understood what Naruto was saying. "I know you don't go back on your word, but you bet your shinobi life. I…I'm not worth that kind of sacrifice."

Naruto shook his head agitatedly. "It's not just that I don't go back on my word Hinata. I _literally_ can't break my promises." Turning his face into a concerned frown, he added, "And you are so worth that amount of sacrifice. I'd give my left arm if it meant that you were okay."

Hinata felt her cheeks flush a dark red, as she turned away from Naruto's intense gaze. As she did so, the extra blood in her head helped clear her mind as she began connecting the pieces Naruto had laid before her. Not having all the pieces, she slowly returned her gaze to Naruto. "I don't understand."

'_Oh boy.'_ Naruto inwardly muttered. He shifted in his seat nervously, trying to think of how he was going to tell Hinata was he was thinking. _'Alright, how do I go about telling her that she and I are –'_

_:: N-Naruto-kun! ::_

'_Hinata-chan?'_ Naruto thought to his mindscape representation of Hinata. Looking at the real Hinata in front of him, he quickly bit on the inside of his cheek. _'Man that's weird.'_

_:: Naruto-kun, you can't just say something like that. You have to let the real me get to know you first, not just jump in and tell her that. ::_

Naruto nodded, getting a confused look from Hinata. _'…is this like, cheating at the dating game?'_

**:: Absolutely. And you're gonna use everything you've got. ::** Han'ishiki interjected. **:: Now, don't leave the pretty lady waiting, and tell her about your promises. ::**

"N-Naruto-kun?"

"Ah! Sorry Hinata-chan, just thinking." Naruto replied. "Uh, okay." Naruto paused, giving Hinata a shamed look. "I've never actually told anyone about this, so it's probably not gonna make much sense the first time around."

Hinata nodded, smiling encouragingly. "It's alright Naruto-kun. Remember, you can trust me."

Naruto smiled a small gentle smile, vastly different from his normal face-splitting smile. "Okay, here it goes. I have a sorta bloodline, one that makes me unable to break promises. When I make my promises though, I get stronger…sorta. It's kinda like channeling chakra to enhance your limbs, only you don't have to think about it." Scratching his head with his free hand, he waved it dismissively. "Wait, that's way off topic. You don't need to know about that now.

"Let's see. Okay! When I make a promise, I'm not allowed to break it. That's pretty important. As long as I don't give myself really specific rules to follow, I can do whatever my promise is, however I want to. Like, I promised Iruka-sensei I wouldn't pull a prank on Hokage-jiji's birthday, and I'd just forget how I wanted to do it before I could go out. Even though I really wanted to, I couldn't." Naruto paused, staring off into space as he thought of something. "Then again, I _could've_ found a way around it, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have ended well for me. Mainly because I'm not sure what they do to genin who deface the Hokage Monument, but also because of the penalty."

"Penalty?" Hinata inquired curiously.

As Naruto was about to explain, there was a startled yelp followed by the small bump of someone falling outside Hinata's door, followed shortly thereafter by someone trying to open the door. Naruto, panicking at the thought that one of Hinata's family members had come to say hi, gripped Hinata's hand tightly as he stood. "I'll tell you later, I promise."

Not even giving the shiver that ran down his spine, and the warmth that filled his mind a second thought. He dove across her bed with an almost practiced ease and bounded out the window. Hinata stared after Naruto, dazedly looking after him. The hand that Naruto had squeezed came up to gently press against her forehead. Realizing what had just happened, she slowly slipped deeper into her hospital bed as she fainted; more then content with what had happened.

**-xxxxx-**

Ino cursed as she heard nothing coming from Hinata's room anymore. Just after Naruto had gotten to the real juicy information, she'd been bowled over by a male nurse who was apparently late to some place or another. When she'd gotten up, she'd accidentally jiggled the door handle when she'd used it to steady herself, which had probably spooked Naruto into leaving.

Taking a few steps back, she smirked at what she'd managed to overhear. While admittedly, she hadn't been able to hear nearly as much as she wanted since Hinata was naturally quiet and Naruto was suspiciously quiet, there had been plenty of other parts where their voices had been raised. One particular part of their conversation was what was currently on her mind as she thought over what Naruto had said.

"He can't break his promises." Ino muttered, thinking over Naruto's promise to her.

In a way, it made a lot of sense to her. Naruto wasn't a 'manly man', but he did have some guy pride as it were. Whenever she mentioned that what she wanted would help her get Sasuke, he became obedient, and had followed her into the no 'man's' land of make-up and clothes. Sure it might've thrown him for a loop, but it was a learning experience too. He'd live.

As she continued down that train of thought, she remembered what Naruto had said regarding him completing his promises. "He said he sets the rules, but when he made the promise to me it was really vague." Tapping her finger to her chin, she began theorizing from what she knew. "He can do it his way…but only if I don't tell him how I want him to do it." Her smile grew slightly as she began heading back to her room. "I think this will be the start of a beautiful friendship."

As she got to her room, she was surprised to find Asuma, Shikamaru, and Choji headed there too. When they saw her coming their way, Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Ino? What are you doing out here?"  
Ino opened her mouth to speak, ready to tell them all about what she'd heard Naruto talking to Hinata over; or just to tell them that she saw Naruto enter Hinata's room. Before she did though, a thought occurred to her. _'He's only told Hinata and me about this. Hinata's too nice to really use that to help her get him, but I can use that to get Sasuke-kun. If I tell everyone though, it won't be much of a secret.'_

"I was looking for you guys." Ino huffed, placing a hand on her hip. "You told me you'd be here over an hour ago. What happened?"

"Troublesome woman," Shikamaru muttered. "Tsunade-sama needed me and some of the other recently promoted chunin to come to the Hokage Tower to get debriefed on a mission. Apparently there's some leftover Oto shinobi running around, and they're getting too close to Konoha's prison area."

Ino's eyes widened. "Really?" Remembering the Oto genin, Dosu, who's left the cut on her throat, she grimaced. "Do you think you'll be okay?"

"Mah, we're just going in for recon." Shikamaru replied dismissively. "If things go bad, we have a heavy hitter to help pull us out."

Ino sighed, glad to hear that they wouldn't be doing anything too dangerous. Then, what Shikamaru said sunk in. "You and the other _chunin_? You got promoted?"

Shikamaru gave her a flat stare, tugging on his vest almost absentmindedly. "Yeah, I got promoted."

"And you never thought to mention it whenever you visited?" Ino said with a glare, her eyebrow twitching rapidly.

"What can I say? It would've been pretty troublesome to tell you." Shikamaru replied with a shrug.

With a mischievous grin, Ino threw an arm over his shoulder. "Well then, I guess it's time for a late celebration! Let's go to that barbeque place Choji loves." Leading Shikamaru out of the hospital, she shouted over her shoulder. "Asuma-sensei's buying!"

"Yes! Barbeque her I come!" Choji shouted, barreling down the hall after them.

Asuma's eyebrows shot up into his hiate. "Hey now, see here. I didn't agree to that!" He shouted, walking after his team. When he rounded the corner though, they were already moving rapidly down the stairs. "You crazy kids are gonna make be broke and grey before I'm old." He muttered, slowly trailing along behind them.

**-xxxxx-**

"And we haven't [censored] left this [censored] hole because?"

"Because the Hokage doesn't know were here yet. If we go now, there will be evidence all over that we were here. If we play our cards right though, we'll be able to make everyone in Konoha believe that their guards were ambushed by fresh Oto shinobi, rather then a gaggle of prison inmates." Aoi replied.

Tayuya scoffed as she looked behind her at their other members. "What gaggle? We sent pretty much everyone home because they were [censored] and wanted to go crying back to Orochimaru to get some [censored] training. {censored] should've thought of that before we went out to fight the leading powerhouse in the Shinobi Nations."

Jirobo turned to Tayuya with a frown. "Tayuya, you shouldn't curse."

"[censored] you Jirobo."

"Tayuya, keep it down." Sakon muttered. Peaking around the tree, he spoke to Aoi again. "So, how long will it take?"

"One or two days now. No more then that, if the Hokage hasn't gone senile." Aoi said, a malicious smirk crossing his face as he recalled how old Sarutobi had been getting when he'd left Konoha.

Kidomaru chuckled. "The Sandaime Hokage's dead. If we're waiting for anyone, it'll be from a new Hokage."

Aoi raised an eyebrow. "Really now? So the old fool finally kicked the bucket."

"More like Orochimaru-sama kicked his [censored] bucket." Tayuya said, getting a few laughs from her teammates.

"I see." Aoi crossed his arms contemplatively. After a moment, he nodded. "Well then, I definitely joined the right team. If Orochimaru could take on the Shinobi no Kami and kill him, then he must have some powerful tricks up his sleeves."

"Or more snakes." Kidomaru replied humorously.

Aoi chuckled. "Maybe."

No one said much for a moment, silence dominating the area for a moment. The wind blew through the trees, making a high pitched whistling noise that made it seem as though the forest itself were anticipating what was coming. The silence was soon after broken though, as Aoi pulled out a small map.

Looking it over, he carefully studied out where it was. It was surprisingly close to where they were at now, only a couple of miles off. While this didn't really concern him, it made him wonder what idiot had thought to put it there. If the prisoners rioted, and one of them had been dumb enough to head in that direction, they could find it and potentially wreck havoc with the new power.

Tracking his finger around certain markings that lay around the shrine, he checked the map's legend to check what the marks meant. Traps, pitfalls, and a remarkably wide assortment of other things helped protect it from simply being invaded by a passer by. Within the shrine though, there was no one.

"What kind of idiot doesn't have people guarding something as precious as this?" Aoi asked himself, tapping the paper in thought.

Unsurprisingly, Tayuya decided to answer. "The kind of [censored] idiot that thinks that no [censored] or fool would be [censored] dumb enough to go there. Power has a price [censored]."

Aoi smirked, rolling up the map and slipping it back into his pocket. "True, but it's always worth whatever that cost may be."

Tayuya scoffed. "Whatever."

"Tayuya, you should really stop –"

"[censored] you Jirobo!"

"Hey guys?" Kidomaru said, looking off to the side. "Isn't that one of the prisoners we let go?"

Sakon peaked around his tree, looking to see what Kidomaru saw. "Heh, what do you know? The idiot came back."

Kidomaru narrowed his eyes. "He's got some stuff with him. Looks like…ingredients, or something like that."

"Who the [censored] is it?" Tayuya asked, unable to see who it was from her vantage point.

"That one guy who kept hitting on you." Kidomaru replied with a smirk.

Tayuya scowled. "They were _all_ hitting on me [censored], be specific."

"White hair, muscular…answers to the name Mizuki."

"Oh, that {censored] [censored]." Tayuya scowled. "I was kinda hoping he'd fallen off a [censored] cliff or [censored] disemboweled himself. The idiot had no idea what he was doing."

"Not at all." Sakon said in agreement, smirking as he recognized some of the ingredients. "Lucky for us thought, Orochimaru-sama chose Mizuki to be one of his little pawns. He'll get his power, and then he'll leave us alone. He's just like any other idiot that's ever come crawling to Orochimaru."  
Aoi glared at Sakon. "I hope you aren't talking about me as well."

Sakon smirked. "No, you're special. You actually got to help Orochimaru-sama before he gave you what you wanted. That means whatever he's giving you, it'll be worth it."

Aoi smirked. "Good." Looking to where he knew Konoha was situated, his smirk darkened considerably. "I'm looking forward to this."

* * *

AN: More plot! This will make for interesting writing.

Okay, this was an interesting chapter to write. Mainly because of the Naruto/Hinata conversation. Seriously, he talked to her in his head, but now he has to remember that 'real'Hinata doesn't know anything that's going on in his head. Plus, he'd probably come off as a stalker if he just started spouting information he really shouldn't know (ironic, as we all know how Hinata is Naruto's secret stalker).

Ino being an antagonist was planned. To be honest, I don't really see Ino as bad as this. People portray her as a gossip in their fics (something I never noted in the actual manga), so I ran with it...and it's somehow twisted her more then I thought. It's needed, but even I'm surprised by her sometimes. Plus, when Ino decideds to push the limits of her newfound knowledge, she'll be in for quite the surprise. Come to think of it, most of you might be a little surprised. We'll see...we'll see.

And the Prison & Power Arc has come (yes, I give my arcs names...you guys just don't normally hear whatever they are but I felt like telling this one). I normally don't like filler, but when I first saw Mizuki return in the anime, I figured I might as well check it out. And that gave me something to keep a certain someone away from Aoi when he get's his little gift from Orochimaru.

Next time on Word of Honor; _B-Ranked Mission_. Heading out on his first B-ranked mission, Naruto will quickly discover that when foreign shinobi are involved, nothing is ever as easy as you want it to be.


	39. B Ranked Mission

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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**Word of Honor**

_Chapter 39: B-Ranked Mission_

Tsunade looked over the two files in front of her again, gritting her teeth in apprehension as she placed them off to the side to work on the next one. Still, her mind drifted back to the files, and she'd end up looking them over yet again. No matter how many times she looked them over, she couldn't stop the feeling from returning with full strength.

The first file was by far the more dangerous of the two at first glance. Just recently, someone had broken in and stolen from the Nara compound, and had stolen several items which she knew from past experience weren't produced anywhere else. While she and the Nara clan knew what had been taken, there seemed to be no method to whatever madness drove the person to take them.

When she'd looked it over in her office shortly thereafter, she came to the conclusion that regardless of their lack of information, she needed to find whoever had done it. Not only because she feared what had been taken, but because someone had broken into the village without alerting anyone of their presence, waltzed into a clan compound, and then walked out. All without being caught.

She'd immediately asked the Inuzuka clan for anyone they could spare for the mission, but had quickly come up empty handed. The few Inuzuka who were still in the village were either sick, or had just recently returned with injuries from their last missions. Any other support from the Inuzuka's who were healthy, she'd sent out as support in other missions just recently.

After leafing through other shinobi with tracking experience, she'd eventually come across a familiar name, with whom she knew was skilled enough to take the mission on her own; Mitarashi Anko. Not willing to risk her abilities on the assumption that this person was acting alone, she decided to pair her up with a partner. Having to turn her sights to the recently promoted, she eventually succumbed and placed her with someone she apparently had already gotten to know; Uchiha Sasuke.

A rather amusing matchup from what she'd seen, but also one that would be capable of getting the job done.

The other folder, after completely reading through it, was far more dangerous. There were sightings of a group of people in the forest, and Inuzuka who had reported shortly after their debriefings that they'd caught scent of something that they couldn't quite place in the last two weeks. These reports had been coming to her in small doses, but were suspicious enough that she paid attention.

Which is how she caught the report of a team that never reported back after a mission to the border of Hi no Kuni and Ta no Kuni (Land of Rice Fields).

Suspicious, she sent a jonin to investigate several days ago. He'd returned just the day before, informing her that he found them. Or, what was left of them. He'd said they'd been ambushed, cut down before they even knew what had hit them. While Tsunade wished it could've been more concrete in details, she accepted what she had and began devising a plan.

Without much to go off of, she wanted to summon a scouting team to send out and get the information she desired. Similarly to what happened when she sought out the Inuzuka, there was a shortage of complete scouting teams. There were single members here and there, but only a few of which she was willing to send out. One of those who she was willing to send out, though she was somewhat hesitant, was Aburame Shino. With a bit of tweaking of the mission parameters though, she was able to think of a few other people who could accompany Shino on the mission.

The mission; track the ambushing shinobi to their base of operations. Should the opportunity arise, ambush and apprehend all information about the enemy, and whatever they may have taken from Konoha. It was perfect. Except for one thing.

Uzumaki Naruto. While she was loath to admit it, he was a competent shinobi who had beaten her fair and square; if one looked at it from a shinobi's perspective. He had a firmly placed head on his shoulders, and would likely do what he could to fulfill the mission above and beyond its parameters.

That's what scared her.

After adding Nara Shikamaru on a whim for extra strategic support, and informing them to head out as soon as they could, it was out of her hands. And yet, she felt a shiver run down her spine whenever she looked at the folders again.

Shuffling them nervously, she sighed in aggravation. If she missed something, it would be because she didn't have all the information, and the missions were time sensitive as it was. All she could do now, was wait for them to come back.

**-xxxxx-**

Leaping through the treetops, two blurs made their way from the Nara's clan compound as they begun their pursuit of the thief. As they went along, the younger of the two – a young man – began grumbling under his breath. "You know, I don't remember you showing me any of your tracking techniques Anko-san."

"Funny, you didn't ask Sasuke-chan." Anko replied back cheerily.

Sasuke muttered an array of obscenities under his breath. Oddly enough, he was pretty sure that he'd learned them all from Anko. "So, you have any idea who'd be dumb enough to try and steal from one of Konoha's clans?"

Anko snorted. "Please, there are tons of people who'd be dumb enough to steal from a clan compound. It's who would be smart enough we have to worry about."

Sasuke frowned, taking in what Anko had said. She was a good teacher, giving him a piece of the puzzle to guess for himself. However, no matter how far ahead he tried to think at times, he felt he was simply one step behind. "Why would someone be smart to steal from the clans?"

"Because the clans are congregated masses of information." Anko replied. Frowning as an old memory surfaced, she continued. "If this was someone within Konoha, they could've had plenty of time to seek out and determine what to grab, when to grab it, and how long they'd have before they got caught. For outsiders, a spy or two set up a month or two beforehand could get fewer pieces of information, but the same result."

Sasuke eyed Anko warily out of the corner of his eye. "You know this from experience?" It was a stupid question he already knew the answer to, but still one worth knowing.

"Yeah, experience." Anko said wistfully. "I've managed to get information from a lot of different places. Finding people who are dumb enough to tell me what I want, or easy enough to persuade were always easy. I've never failed at getting what I was asked."

'_The Hokage or Orochimaru?'_ Sasuke mussed. After having trained with Anko now for some time, she'd become surprisingly forthright with her past, telling him about how she was trained by the Sannin, Orochimaru. She'd reminisced on past missions, and the things she thought she was doing to help him. It had eventually let to his betrayal of her, and her being marked by the Ten no Juin.

Sasuke eyed Anko warily. Once she'd started talking about her past, he'd come to a realization that startled him; they were rather similar. They were both abandoned, by people vastly more powerful and intelligent then they were, they'd both been marked with the same seal, and they both had a sense of vengeance. Granted, Anko had a different sense of vengeance then he did.

"So you know the ins and outs? Is that why you seem to know where you're going?" Sasuke asked, noting that Anko had yet to use whatever technique she'd used earlier to locate their wayward thief.

Anko scowled. "Not exactly. When I used the technique, I caught their chakra trail. And if I'm right, I know exactly where it leads to."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "That's…rather convenient."

"Tell me about it." Anko muttered, gripping a high branch to use to accelerate slightly as she launched to the next branch ahead of her. "Orochimaru set it up after discovering that I liked hiding there. Said it would be our little safe house in case things went south."

Sasuke nearly stumbled on his next branch, barely recovering before giving Anko an incredulous stare. "Wait, you mean to tell me that whoever this is knows where one of Orochimaru's hideouts is?"

Anko laughed humorously. "Technically it's my hideout, but yeah, he knows where it's out."

"So, it's probably hiding something Orochimaru made?" Sasuke asked hesitantly.

Anko paused in thought. She honestly hadn't been to the hideout after she'd finally made it back to Konoha, as she had figured that her sensei wouldn't put anything dangerous where she could easily find it. Thinking about it now though, it was likely the _perfect_ place to put something; especially since whatever he might've placed could have been used in an attempt to influence her to rejoin her sensei.

"Yeah…probably." She muttered, not liking how her gut clenched slightly at the thought of what Orochimaru may have stashed away. "We should probably pick up the pace…just to make sure he doesn't get away before we beat the tar out of him."

"Right." Sasuke replied. While he wasn't sure about it, he could have sworn he saw Anko's face twist in agony as she remembered something during her pause. Whatever it was, it was unlikely that it would be good for either of them.

**-xxxxx-**

Naruto leaned against a tree, looking at the two people who he was traveling with. They had gotten several miles out of the village after several hours of travel and were approaching the sight where, according to the report, the other team had been found. As they had gotten closer though, Shino had decided to stop them for a moment to make sure they all understood the information they'd been given. Shortly thereafter, Naruto – although inexperienced in being the voice of reason - found himself pointing out a glaringly obvious fact that he felt Shino had overlooked.

"What information? Tsunade-baa-chan didn't bother to tell us anything about how they died, no one's seen these guys so we don't know what they look like, and we don't know how they fight. We're flying blind."

Shino raised an eyebrow, the only sign that he was taking in what Naruto had said. "Be that as it may, we do have some information we can use. We know where they were killed, so we can use that to begin our search. If we hurry, there will likely be residual chakra still present from whatever techniques they might've used, so it may still be possible for my kikaichuu to obtain a small sample of their chakra. While not much, it will certainly allow us to have a moment's heads up should they come within their search range."

"And if we're ambushed before they get their chakra sample?" Naruto asked seriously, not liking how many holes there seemed to be in the plan. After nearly getting caught, Naruto was feeling a bit paranoid. "What do you think would happen if that happened?"

Shino shifted slightly, giving Naruto what might have passed as a bemused look coming from an Aburame. "I suppose we would likely be put in a bad spot."

Shikamaru snorted lightly. "That's putting it lightly."

"However, I have faith in your abilities, and in your fortitude." Shino said, continuing as though Shikamaru hadn't said anything at all. "You fought against, and defeated a man with abilities unknown and never once backed away. If given the choice between an experienced jonin and yourself, I'd pick you."

Naruto and Shikamaru gave Shino a surprised look, though Shikamaru's had a slightly teasing edge to it. "So, Naruto would be your 'logical' choice?"

Shino pushed his glasses up slightly up the bridge of his nose, unperturbed by Shikamaru's tone. "Of course. I doesn't matter how skilled a jonin may be, having the prior knowledge and trust of a comrade I've fought beside would allow me to focus on my opponent rather then on the safety of my allies."

Naruto smiled at the answer, inwardly agreeing with him. "Yeah, you're right. I'd much rather have you and Sasuke then some other guy I don't know."

Shikamaru looked between the two, feeling somewhat left out despite the 'I couldn't care less' aura he was trying to exude. He'd seen them all fight, and they'd seen him fight as well, but in terms of impressiveness he was obviously lacking. Leaning against his own tree with a grunt of slightly forced agreement, he stared up into the canopy of the forest, hoping for a small glimpse of the sun through the higher branches of the forest.

At that moment, he caught a small movement falling upon them. Eyes widening in shock, he shouted loudly as he leapt to the side. "Move!"

Naruto and Shino didn't move quite at first, glancing up to see whatever Shikamaru had seen. As such, they were both caught somewhat off guard as a rather large man with orange hair landed in between them. Luckily for Shino, Naruto's Sokusensokketsu no Jutsu had become easier since his trip to his mindscape; giving him more then enough time to react and tackle Shino into the cover of the forest.

"Well would you look at that, Konoha sent a bunch of little fly's for us to play with." Someone said, his voice echoing throughout the clearing.

The man who'd dropped into the clearing glared at where Shino and Naruto had dropped to, looking into the trees with a slight nod. "I'll take care of these two."

A second person dropped next to him, purple hair covering his eyes to hide a bored expression. "I'll come with you. Not like there's much else we can do while we wait."

"I'm going after the *** who went the other way." A distinctly female voice shouted, leaping after the disappeared Shikamaru.

"…I'll just stay here and keep an eye on everyone then." The first person, still hidden in the tops of the trees muttered.

Naruto grit his teeth together as he ran by Shino. "We need to regroup! Shika's on his own over there!"

"Agreed Naruto-kun." Shino said calmly, glancing behind himself. "We need every available man, and Shikamaru might be able to shed some insight should we miss anything."

"So how do we ditch these guys?" Naruto asked, glancing over his shoulder as well. The larger one with orange hair looked like he was primarily a taijutsu user, which would be good if he had to fight him as he had the speed advantage. The purple haired man on the other hand, he couldn't tell anything about.

"We could simply circle around to catch up with Shikamaru." Shino offered.

Naruto took a deep breath, not liking what he was about to do. "Go ahead, I'll keep them here."

Shino raised an eyebrow before remembering Naruto's fight against Kiba. "You're going to call in some backup?"

"Something like that." Naruto said, his face morphing into a feral grin. Digging his foot into the ground, he spun on the ball of his foot to face the two assailants. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)!"

In a burst of smoke, four Naruto's now stood where one once had. Each one had a matching feral grin, and gave a loud shout as they rushed forwards. Shino gave a slight nod as he began to double back to meet up with Shikamaru.

"Oh no you don't." The purple haired man muttered, ducking behind the larger man as he began to chase down Shino. "Jirobo, take care of this fool! And don't dilly-dally, we need to kill these idiots and get moving!"

"Can do Sakon." Jirobo said, grunting as he slid into a firm taijutsu stance.

Naruto and his clones didn't bat an eye as they continued to race forwards. Before they got to Jirobo though, one of them broke off from the group to chase after Sakon. Jirobo opened his mouth to shout in disapproval, but was silenced as a fist buried itself in his stomach, followed by one to his sternum, and another to his face. Stumbling back, he tried to shake off the stars in his eyes from the blow to his head.

"Uzu –" the first Naruto shouted, kicking the back of Jirobo's knees to knock him down to the clone's level.

"–Maki!" The second Naruto shouted, spinning around behind Jirobo to shove him towards the final Naruto jumping into his face.

"Yobirin (Uzumaki Bell)!" Naruto shouted, slamming his head as hard as he could into Jirobo's. He could hear the crunch of Jirobo's nose, causing him to grin for a second before he was dispelled in a burst of smoke.

"What was that?" Jirobo muttered, finally having enough sense to reopen his eyes and dodge from the other two Naruto's attempted pincer movement. "You broke my nose!"

"Yeah well, you started it." The first of the Naruto's replied cheekily. His bravado fell rather rapidly when he noticed something strange about his opponent. "Uh, do you see that?"

The second Naruto slowly nodded. "You mean the black marks spreading over his skin? Yeah, why?"

"…I don't think that's a good thing."

Jirobo roared as he rushed forwards, his fist causing a crater where the Naruto's had once been standing before they'd dodged in opposite directions to avoid the attack. Both yelped loudly as he then yanked out a chunk of earth several times bigger then himself. Without even a grunt of serious exertion, he turned to the first Naruto who'd jumped to his left. "Doton: Doryo Dango (Earth Release: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling)."

Chucking it at the Naruto, he grinned in satisfaction as he heard the bone crushing impact of his technique hitting its target head on. It was somewhat a shame that he hadn't been able to trap the weakling to suck out his chakra. Then again, he'd been ordered to make it fast, and he would live if he didn't eat for the time being.

"Yo."

Stiffening in surprise, Jirobo whirled around. Standing behind him, Naruto looked up at him with a smirk of triumph. Glancing back at where his technique had previously crushed Naruto, he put it together. He'd hit the wrong Naruto. As he realized this, the Naruto in front of him took advantage of his distraction, closing the distance between them quickly. Throwing his arms out, he caught Jirobo off guard as he appeared to hug him before whispering just loud enough to hear.

"Bunshin Bakuha (Clone Explosion)!"

With a loud crack of energy being released, Jirobo stumbled back, a thin trail of smoke still attached to him. His eyes wide in shock, he fell to his knees, coughing and hacking as he felt as though his insides had been hit with a sledgehammer. The last thing he knew before he died was that there were small flecks of blood on his hand, and that the original Naruto had already gone after Sakon.

**-xxxxx-**

Shino ducked and weaved around the flurry of attacks that Sakon attempted to hit him with as he continued to race towards where Shikamaru was. He thanked himself for careful forethought as his kikaichuu helped direct him towards where the smell of the female kikaichuu he'd placed on Shikamaru was. It was disorienting feeling the insect on Naruto being so close, but he was easily able to manage.

"Stop dodging and face me like a man you cowardly trash!" Sakon shouted, a maniacal grin on his face as he continued his chase of Shino. While he saw the young man as simple trash to be killed, he found a dark delight in chasing him down, enjoying the knowledge that his opponent understood that he was outmatched.

Shino continued to duck and weave through the forest, something he found Sakon wasn't quite as adept at doing as he himself was able. Were he on more flat terrain, it was likely Sakon would've managed to overtake him and take him out. As it was, he'd dropped to the forest floor for tighter maneuverability to get what small edge he could. So far it was working, but he'd have to face him eventually.

"Alright you trash, time to stop cutting corners!" Sakon shouted, climbing to a higher elevation to get a better view of Shino. Grabbing four kunai in either hand, he grinned darkly as he chucked them around where Shino was running.

Shino didn't bat an eye at the kunai as they impacted the trees around him. To his surprise, despite only having four in either hand, Sakon had somehow managed to throw twice the amount of kunai at him, throwing off his anticipation slightly. It did help though that he'd already been in motion, which helped give him a push to escape the kunai's decent.

Before he could think of some other way to begin a counterattack, his gaze was drawn back to the kunai. There, tied to the handle of every kunai he'd thrown, was an explosive tag. "Uh-oh."

The explosions went of in quick succession, leaving a trail of fire that followed after Shino, who dived between the roots of a tree to escape the flaming ball of death at it raced towards him. Taking a quick breather, he went over the options he could think of which could help him change the outcome of the battle.

"Gangway! Coming through!"

'_Thank you Naruto.'_ Shino though, racing from his hiding place as Naruto raced over Sakon. The ever loud, boisterous voice of Naruto drew Sakon's attention to the canopy, ignoring the threat from below. Shino, copying Sakon's own method, threw a kunai with an explosive tag attached to the end to buy himself a bit more time to plan.

"Look out you baka!" A voice that sounded eerily similar to Sakon's shouted. It didn't make sense for a moment, until he notice a second head peering over Sakon's shoulder. "Explosive tag at your feet!"

"Shit!" Sakon shouted, diving down to the forest floor to avoid the impending explosion.

Shino hid within the intertwined roots of another tree, sending a Kikaichuu Bunshin (Parasitic Destruction Insect Clone) to confront Sakon. "What is that?" His clone asked, pointing to the second head that had just popped up.

"Oh this? This is my brother, Udon." Sakon said, grinning as he motioned to his brother peaking over his shoulder. "You see, we have a bloodline ability. It allows us to share a body, giving me a literal pair of eyes in the back of my head. In fact, it allows us to do some pretty awesome stuff like –"

Before he could continue with his monologue, a hand snaked up from inside Sakon's shirt, covering his mouth to cut him off. "We don't have time for this Sakon. Let's just kill this Konoha scum, and get going before we lose sight of Aoi."

Sakon nodded his consent, looking annoyed as the hand returned back to its place. Shino's clone tilted its head to the side, recognizing the name from somewhere. "Aoi? A friend of yours?"

Sakon chuckled. "Something like that. Then again, he was a friend of yours once too."

"I highly doubt that, as I have had no friends named Aoi. Even if I did, I have no doubt they would be no friend of yours." Shino's clone replied evenly.

Udon growled from behind Sakon's head. "He means he used to be a Konoha shinobi before he left for something better."

In his hiding place, Shino found himself gritting his teeth lightly. He understood having comrades who could be trusted better then some, which made those who willingly sacrificed their comrades or forgot about those they fought beside somewhat of a sore spot for him. If was not in his nature to let something like that slide.

"So, where is he now?" his clone asked, appearing to search the clearing for said person, while the real Shino did the same.

Sakon and Udon glanced at one another, giving each other a blank glance. After a couple seconds, Sakon spoke up. "Do you know where he went?"

"How would I know? I've been with you the whole time!"

"Right, that would make knowing where he's at difficult. Uh, do you think Tayuya knows where he's at?"

"She's fighting the other Konoha shinobi."

"Kidomaru?"

"…I'm not even sure where he went."

Shino frowned at the lack of information, noting that his opponents appeared to be in a similar predicament. Thinking it over, it occurred to him that not all was quite as it seemed. If these people were traveling with a Konoha defector, there was likely something they had that he needed. And if they didn't know where he was at, it was likely that he had given them the slip and was headed off to claim his prize. If he got there before he or his team could catch up to him, it was likely things would only get harder from thereon out.

He was running out of time, yet there was nothing more he could do about it but finish his fight with Sakon and Udon.

**-xxxxx-**

"Where the *** did that little *** go?" Tayuya shouted, glaring into the woods as though her glaring would help her discern where Shikamaru had run off to.

For his part, Shikamaru was glad she was a hotheaded person, as it made avoiding her much easier to do. "What a troublesome woman."

Leaning slightly around the tree he was on, he attempted to determine what her abilities were from his vantage point. He couldn't see any sort of kunai pouch attached to her legs, so that ruled out a weapon specialist. However, she did have a flute that she was clutching tightly in her hands as she sought him out. Thinking over everything he'd ever learned about weapons shinobi used, he was able to quickly determine her specialty; genjutsu (illusionary techniques).

"Great, and I'm still learning to use the Kagekubi Shibari no Jutsu (Shadow-Neck Binding Technique), so the only thing I've got is close quarters combat." Shikamaru gently hit his head against the trunk of the tree. "Plus, I somehow wound up fighting yet another woman. What a drag."

Turning to scan the area for anyone else they might've missed, he noticed a figure making his way away from the fight on the forest floor. He couldn't make out the details of the man, but he could tell by his gait and body language he was sneaking away from something. Likely the fight, like he wished he could. When the man pulled out a piece of paper though, Shikamaru's curiosity turned into suspicion.

'_What's on that paper? Are these people out here searching for something? It must be something near the border, since that's where the attacks happened.'_ Settling himself into his thinking pose – putting his hand together by his fingertips to form a circle with his eyes closed – he took in what he knew. _'This guy isn't getting attacked by this woman, so he's probably on her side. I don't know what they're after so…'_

By this point Tayuya had become increasingly frustrated by her lack of ability to visually confirm where he was at to ensure that she wouldn't just waste chakra on genjutsu to trap the idiot and beat the tar out of him. She had really nothing but her genjutsu, Doki (Angry Demons), and her cursed seal. Without knowing where her opponent was at, none of those would matter.

"Come out and face me like a man you *** trash!" Tayuya shouted. While it was a long shot, she hoped that if she continued to insult her opponent and his manhood he'd become agitated and attempt to attack her. She could then track where the attack came from and retaliate.

Unless he wasn't in the area, and she was just wasting her time. Growling at the very though, she stomped on the branch she was perched on angrily. "I swear if you don't your *** I'm gonna *** up your face so *** bad you –"

Shikamaru, coming out of his thinking pose, leapt down from his hiding spot to follow after the mystery man. He needed to know more about what he was after, and what it could do before he attempted to confront him. Unfortunately for him, the movement disturbed a bit of the foliage and gave his position away to Tayuya.

"Finally!" Tayuya shouted, bringing her thumb to her teeth. Biting down on her thumb, she was about to summon her Doki when a new noise reached her ears.

"Dynamic Ent-aah! Oof! Owie…"

An orange blur tumbled in front of her, a foot attached to said blur getting caught in a fork in one of the branches, leaving him hanging upside-down a couple of branches in front of her. Tayuya stared at the now discernable person before her, blinking in confusion. "What the ***? Weren't you off fighting Jirobo a little bit ago?"

"Uh, no?"

Tayuya felt her eyebrow twitch agitatedly at the answer. "Okay, are you trying to piss me off you little ***?"

"Oi! Cut that out, it makes you sound stupid."

"Oh, that's rich. Coming from the orange wonder. Seriously, what kind of shinobi wears _orange_ of all things in the middle of a _forest_…where it's _green?_" Tayuya asked sardonically.

"The kind that can wear orange and still sneak up on you."

Tayuya opened her mouth to retaliate, but found herself unable to think of a good comeback to that. "*** you, you orange ***."

"Nyah." Naruto replied, pulling down his eyelid as he stuck his tongue out at her.

Eye twitching rapidly, she went through the summoning technique before slamming her hand on the ground. From the smoke that shrouded her with the summoning, three figures lumbered forwards.

The three Doki were slightly different in appearance, all with different weapons. The one on Tayuya's right was wearing a dark green full-body suit, its hair grown to the point it completely shrouded its head and face from view; in its arms, it held a vicious looking metal club. The one in the center was shirtless with dark pants, completely revealing a bald head with scars all over it with a blindfold over its eyes; a thorn-like weapon was tied to each arm, looking like spiked claws were curled down its arms, with a spike coming from each elbow. The final Doki has its entire upper body covered in bandages and wore brown pants. Its head leaned to the side in an awkward position, like it was bending over backwards, giving Naruto a good look at the several needles pinned on it. Each demon had a purple, rope-like belt tied in an inverted bow around its waist, like Tayuya did.

"…is the purple rope-belt thingy a new fashion trend?" Naruto asked curiously. "'Cause they all look like idiots to me."

Tayuya rolled her eyes at Naruto's remark. "Oh yeah, because you can *** judge my summons. You think you're so tough, you summon your *** summons."

Naruto shrugged, quickly biting his thumb. "Okay."

Tayuya blinked in confusion. "Wait what?"

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)!"

A burst of smoke obscured Tayuya's view, causing her to shield her eyes from view as the smoke washed over her. When she finally was able to get a good look at what Naruto had brought into the fight, she felt her heart sink slightly. Naruto had summoned three large toads to assist him. Across from the Doki wearing the body suit, a yellow toad with a kusarigama – a hand scythe with a chain connected to a weight – that had the chain with the weighted end wrapped around its arm. The second toad stood across from the mummified Doki, fully decked out in toad styled black shinobi gear, a pair of giant kunai attached to its back. The final toad, Gamakanbou, stood across from the shirtless Doki, his samurai guards held in a defensive stance with Naruto - now free from his temporarily stuck state - standing on his head.

Tayuya observed the scene blandly. Even without her considerable intelligence, and a better way to phrase what she said next, her next statement easily summed up her thoughts on the matter. "Well shit…I'm ***." Bringing her flute to her lips, she prepared herself to command her Doki.

It was a good day for a fight.

* * *

AN: This chapter feels like I'm jumping in headfirst...and in a way, I am. But then again, they're only a few hours from Konoha. That's actually about the place where they got ambushed by the two Konoha jonin that were returning from their mission in the manga/anime. Can anyone guess why the Sound Four could possibly be so close to Konoha at this time? People who guess before I post my next chapter will be mentioned.

The first scene was actually ridiculously difficult to get going, and I eventually scrapped it for what you see now. Tsunade lamenting was the best way to explain who the teams were, and what their missions were so I don't get as many questions about what just happened later. Plus, I figured it would also help explain why she had to send out the fresh chunin out on the mission (no one was available) when the risks are plain to see.

Moving onto more important things, Jirobo is dead. Why? Because I swear people take explosions lightly in Naruto for some reason. I mean honestly, has anyone seen Deadliest Warrior? The concussive damage that many explosions have is often enough to be lethal on its own without the extra stuff we add on to make our explosives _more_ lethal. Plus, the method a shockwave takes is basically the Jyuuken principle; you can't train your insides to keep them from becoming mush. And these guys are flinging kunai with explosive tags around like they're free candy sometimes. It's so confusing.

Next time on Word of Honor; _Clash Between Monsters_. Naruto and Shino face off against the strongest two of the Sound Four as they begin to unleash their most powerful weapon; meanwhile Sasuke and Anko find their target, only to find themselves fighting for their lives.


	40. Clash between Monsters

Now, for those who guessed right! ...surprisingly, not as many as I expected. SpeeDemon, Swordmagic51, and (in a roundabout way) RedRangerBelt.

Now, onto the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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**Word of Honor**

_Chapter 40: __Clash between Monsters_

Gamakanbou looked over his opponents carefully, noting that they all appeared to be unable to see due to their blindfolds. While that would normally appear to be a weakness, he'd fought enough alongside Jiraiya to know that sight was not the only method of tracking an opponent. When he noticed the flute in the summoner's hand, he sighed heavily. "Naruto, the woman is likely going to be controlling the summons with that flute in her hands. Take her out, and they should be harmless."

"Got it." Naruto said, crouching low to Gamakanbou's head. "Looks like a good time to use Operation Leap Frog."

"For the last time, we aren't frogs!" The yellow toad growled, slowly beginning to swing the weighted end of his kusarigama slowly in preparation for the upcoming clash.

"Yeah, well Leap _Toad_ doesn't sound right, now does it Akira?" Naruto grumbled, refocusing on Tayuya.

For her part, Tayuya was unfazed by Naruto's apparent planning session, instead warping her plans to accommodate the extra enemies. Not only that, but she also had to take into account the type of summon; toads. Only one person had that contract, and that meant her opponent had to have been trained by said person in order to obtain said contract. While she herself had been trained by Orochimaru, she hadn't been trained exclusively, which she was certain her opponent had been. That meant she needed to take him out fast, which meant she needed a quick boost.

Activating her cursed seal, which slowly began spreading in a zigzag-like pattern, she began to play her flute. In accordance with her music, her Doki slowly began to move accordingly.

"She's started, move!" Gamakanbou shouted, rushing forwards to quickly clash with the only opponent between him and Tayuya. The shirtless Doki moved sluggishly, slow to respond to the incoming threat. Before it could raise a threatening defense, Gamakanbou had managed to grip said Doki and keep it from counterattacking. "Go Naruto!"

"Ally-oop!" Naruto shouted, leaping off Gamakanbou's back. Using the Doki's head as a second springboard, he formed a cross-shaped hand seal as he flew towards Tayuya. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)!"

Tayuya's eyes narrowed slightly as she began to speed up her playing ever so slightly. The Doki on either side of the now pinned and struggling Doki turned to counter Naruto as he flew through the air, a semi-transparent substance beginning to seep out to form what appeared to be worm-like apparitions that were covered in many mouths. Before the apparitions were able to shoot after Naruto, the two Doki attempting to catch him were blindsided by the two other toads. Unable to divert her attention from the battle between toad and Doki, she was wide open to the three Naruto's that landed in front of her, preparing to engage in close quarters combat.

"Uzu –" The Naruto on her left shouted, aiming his foot to knock her left knee off balance and bring her to her knees.

Before it could connect with her though, a golden kunai whizzed through the air and slammed into the back of the Naruto's neck. Caught unawares, the Naruto was quickly dispelled in a burst of smoke that managed to engulf the three remaining on the branch where Tayuya had situated herself. The original, who'd learned to focus on how his clones died during his Chunin Exam training period, snapped his head towards where the kunai had been flung from. Realizing that neither he nor his clone was in a good spot, he shouted a command to his clone. "Scramble!"

Still in mid movement, the clone stumbled as it tried to avoid the incoming strike. The moment between his slip and him getting back up was just enough time for their foe to strike again from the shadows. With only one last shout of pain, it too was dispelled in a large cloud of smoke.

Too busy playing her flute as she tried to move higher then the smoke, Tayuya had no time to berate the man who'd intervened in her fight. _'*** it, I could use Kidomaru's help right about now. This orange wearing *** is going to get the better of me if he doesn't keep him off me.'_

"Well would you look at this? Someone has stumbled into my web." Kidomaru said, smirking from the shadowed nook of a tree he's set himself up in earlier during the ambush. "Let's see just what level he and his summons are at."

Like Sakon and Udon, Kidomaru was special. Unlike most people, he had six arms. This gave him the advantage of having more arms to lash out with. It also helped when he used his own style of ninjutsu.

Going through a quick set of hand seals, Kidomaru reared back his head and spat out a barrage of webbing towards where the original Naruto was backtracking. "Kumo Souka (Spider Web Flower)!"

Naruto snapped his head to where the voice came from, causing him to land awkwardly on the branch he'd aimed for. This turned out to save him for the moment as he slipped down the side of the branch; only the rapid application of chakra to his feet keeping him from falling completely off the branch. The webbing soared over him, several landing at where his feet would have been. Knowing just enough about spiders to know what a web looked like, Naruto shot a startled look to where Kidomaru sat. "What the – you've got spider jutsu's?"

"Something like that." Kidomaru said, forming more webbing to spit at Naruto.

Naruto thought over what he knew about spiders, coming up amazingly short on information. Gritting his teeth, he threw his hands into a familiar hand seal. "Sokusensokketsu (Blitzkrieg)!" Clenching his fist tightly, he focused on both Tayuya and Kidomaru. "I will win!"

Feeling the familiar sensation of going numb, he found himself really grateful that he'd taken the entirety of the return from Tanzaku-gai and the small bit of time he'd had off before his promotion training with Han'ishiki to perform better while using his bloodline. Instead of going completely numb as he had when he'd fought Tsunade, he could still feel certain things; like his somewhat oversensitivity to the changes in the air.

Utilizing that particular skill with gusto, he raced towards where Kidomaru was perched. Kidomaru, not simply going to let his opponent get close to him so easily, launched a barrage of webbing to capture Naruto. Not needing to keep an eye out on the webbing, Naruto continued unabated – dodging where necessary – on his path to Kidomaru.

Kidomaru's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting Naruto to get through his barrage so easily. "So, you're not as low leveled an opponent as you appear. I've always thought the stronger guys were taller then a shorty like you."

Naruto didn't so much as twitch as he covered the last bit of distance between them. Leaping into the air, he slammed his fist as hard as he could into Kidomaru's chest, knocking him from his tree. To his surprise, it felt as though he was attempting to punch through steel for all the damage he was doing. Slowly trailing the falling Kidomaru, he gripped one of the branches of the nook Kidomaru had used to hide himself and used it to propel him after Kidomaru. Unleashing a barrage of kicks, he pounded away as hard as he until they became reacquainted with the ground with an explosion of dust.

As the dust cleared, Naruto stumbled out of the small crater Kidomaru's body had made upon impact. He hadn't expected the fall to be quite that rough, but if he'd taken out his opponent, a little soreness was nothing.

"Wow, that was actually pretty painful."

Naruto whipped his head back to Kidomaru, only to find the crater was now vacant. Cursing under his breath, he turned from side to side as he tried to figure out where he'd run off to. "Huh, you even managed to break part of my Nenkin no Yoroi (Armor of Sticky Gold). Impressive, but brute strength won't be enough. Then again, it looks like I'm gonna have to kick it up a notch myself."

Naruto snapped his head upwards, finally figuring out where Kidomaru's voice was coming from. During his movement from the crater to the canopy, an array of vine-like pattern that quickly spread across his body. When he noticed the hand seals he was going through, he groaned loudly. "Aw man, this is gonna suck."

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)!" Kidomaru shouted, placing his hand on a bit of webbing that ran between the lowest of his arms. "Kyodaigumo (literally meaning: Giant Spider)!"

Naruto cursed loudly as he saw the giant spider above him, staring down with its many eyes. Almost as fast as Naruto's cursing, the spider wove an intricate looking sack just above itself. As Naruto watched, it clicked wildly as it moved from the sack and let Kidomaru step in. To Naruto's shock, Kidomaru cut open the sack and moved out of the way.

From within the sack, a rain of spiders began to pour out upon Naruto, who stared up with an expression of shock. This slowly morphed into a frustrated shout as he focused on Kidomaru. "Great, just what I need; a small army of spiders coming down to _eat me!_"

Looking around wildly, he moaned as he realized that at the speed the spiders were descending, he'd be trapped in the clearing before too long. Grimacing, he picked up a stick and stuck it into his mouth. Creating a clone, he gave it a quick nod.

The clone, grimacing similarly to the original, charged up a nearby tree as it rushed the descending spiders. Up next to Kyodaigumo, Kidomaru smirked. "Fool. A clone against Amagumo (Rain of Spiders)? He's just going to delay the inevitable."

On the ground, Naruto bit into the stick as hard as he could, keeping an eye out for any openings he could use. The clone on the other hand, focused on getting itself as high as it could. Dodging and weaving through the spiders that began sticking to his tree in an attempt to stop him, he eventually got high enough for Naruto's plan to work. Bending his knees, he launched himself into the center of the falling spiders, a resigned smile on its face.

Kidomaru was a smart guy, but he was not aware of Naruto's abilities in the slightest. So when the clone suddenly exploded, he had to take a moment to figure out what he'd just seen. By the time he had, he'd already wasted enough time for Naruto to climb more then halfway up the tree to where he was standing – had Naruto been paying attention

Naruto, instead of taking the time to attack, stared up at where his clone had exploded. "Dat worked? Bu I didn feal et." He said around the stick in his mouth. Spitting out the stick, having no more need of it, he took a brief second to spit a few more times. "Gah, now my mouth's gonna taste funny."

Refocusing his attention on Kidomaru, he finally began doing what he _should_ have already started on. By that point though, Kidomaru had determined that his Amagumo technique wasn't going to work quite the way he wanted if Naruto could simply make more of himself to go and blow themselves up. He did have something else he could use though. While he didn't need to create another sack, Kyodaigumo was far from useless in this situation.

"Kyodaigumo!" Kidomaru called out to his companion as he began to form a new weapon to help take Naruto out. He also began pushing his cursed seal to its level one limits as he spoke. "Take him down, now!"

Kyodaigumo let loose a hissing screech as it leapt from its position in the trees canopy towards Naruto. With a groan, Naruto glared up as the spider plummeted towards him. "Great…and I thought the _little_ _ones_ were bad."

Meanwhile, as Tayuya found the three toads with her Doki, she had begun to come to an annoying realization. The toads, being independent of their summoner, outclassed and were beginning to overpower her summons.

While her shirtless Doki had spiked claws, the toad with the samurai-like arm guards was more adept at blocking the more dangerous part of the blows, giving itself a clear shot at the Doki's torso. Thus far, it had landed at least a dozen blows to the Doki's chest, most likely breaking a few ribs in the process. It had also managed a lucky shot at the Doki's head when she had ordered it to bring its elbow down on the toad's head. The toad had barely stepped back enough to avoid the spiked elbow strike, and had been able to pull of a hammer fist to the side of her Doki's head.

The yellow toad, Akira if she'd heard the blond right, was more lethal with his kusarigama then her Doki was with its metal club. As her music had directed the Doki, Akira had consistently caught the club with the weighted end and chain, and would yank back on it in an attempt to disarm the Doki. It hadn't worked yet, but with the possibility that it could also use the bladed end to finish the Doki, she didn't want to take to many chances.

The final toad, the one that had taken upon itself the appearance of a shinobi, was by far the most trouble for her. Not only because it was skilled at fighting her unarmed Doki, but because whenever she thought she'd had the damned thing, it would suddenly leap upwards, or too the side, and vanish for a moment. It would inevitably end up attacking her Doki, but she couldn't help but worry that it was seeking out a way to slip past the Doki for a direct attack.

Despite the fact they were in fact progressing as they pushed back her Doki, it was painfully obvious that the toads were slowly but surely being worn down as well. There weren't nearly enough marks to show it, but she could see the signs of fatigue in each of them. With her level one cursed seal covering the most part of her body, she decided against going completely to level two for the moment. She might need the chakra later.

Realizing she needed to move to a more offensive position, she changed tactics. "Makyou no Ran (Revolt of the Demon World)." She whispered over her flute, changing the tune to something she felt was more appropriate.

Gamakanbou, who was actually beginning to enjoy his fight somewhat despite his tiring state, found himself reeling back in surprise as the worm-like things that had been coming out of the other two Doki when Naruto had leapt over them was suddenly spit out by his own opponent. Leaping back, he shouted to the other two toads. "Fall back and regroup!"

Akira snarled, leaping away from his opponent as the same thing came from its mouth as had come earlier. The final toad said nothing, disappearing from everyone's sight before landing next to Gamakanbou. "Her melody has changed." Akira muttered, whirling his kusarigama into his hand to keep from wasting energy. "It's that melody she was staring to play earlier."

"I noticed." Gamakanbou muttered, eying the translucent worms as they rushed them. "Dodge!"

The three scattered in different directions, hoping that by keeping apart they could divide Tayuya's attention. Instead, she focused on Akira. When the worms got close, Akira tried to beat them away with his kusarigama. To his surprise, the weigh he threw went through without affecting them in the slightest. Twisting in midair, Akira felt something 'bite' his arm as he began to plummet towards the ground. Glancing behind himself, his eyes widened as he saw an ethereal version of his arm being chewed on by the worms as they missed him. Feeling strength leave his hand, he shouted to Gamakanbou. "They're eating my chakra!" Grimacing, he began leaping from branch to branch as he tried to keep from having his chakra eaten again. "Taira, get these things off me!"

Taira, the shinobi-looking toad, nodded silently. Leaping from his hiding place, his webbed hands began moving through what could roughly be considered hand seals. Right before he unleashed his attack, Tayuya noticed this and paused in her music for a second. "Aw hell."

**-xxxxx-**

Shino was a patient man. A man who understood the purpose of a good trap, as well as knowing how to analyze his opponents. As such, he was currently taking a small breather as he had his clone continue to do battle with Sakon and Udon.

It was a rather one sided battle though, with his clone keeping just out of range while Sakon continually pursued his clone with a vicious vigor. There had been several moments where Shino had been tempted to envelop his opponent in the kikaichuu and simply be done with them, but there was one thing that stopped him; he wanted more information about the defector they'd mentioned.

"Why would a defector from Konoha be traveling with you? What do you have that he could possibly want?" The kikaichuu clone asked, back flipping along a tree trunk to get to higher ground.

"Us? Nothing. Orochimaru-sama?" Sakon smirked. "That's a whole other story."

Shino raised an eyebrow at the blatant usage of yet _another _traitor's name. Somehow, the fact that two traitors from their village had teamed up didn't surprise him. It was only logical for them to try and attach themselves to something familiar. For this 'Aoi' to be receiving something from Orochimaru meant nothing good.

"And what might Orochimaru be offering?" the clone asked, voicing Shino's own thoughts.

Udon rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like we know what Orochimaru-sama is giving him." Turning back to Sakon, he gave him a glare. "And would you stop messing around with him?"

"I would but he keeps dodging. I can't land a hit on him." Sakon reluctantly admitted. While he'd been trying to hit Shino from the very beginning, Shino had proven to be skilled at running away.

"If there is nothing you can tell me further, I'm afraid I don't have anything else to say to you." The clone said flatly, squaring its stance as it faced down the brothers.

"About time. You were boring me with all your talk." Sakon said, leaping up the tree to finally beat down Shino. Before he hit him though, 'Shino' disappeared into a swarm of kikaichuu. The kikaichuu, on Shino's command, quickly maneuvered themselves around and swallowed the brothers.

"There is no point to allowing you to return to Orochimaru." Shino muttered, stepping out from his hiding spot.

His kikaichuu suddenly began buzzing, getting a signal from those that had consumed the brothers-in-one-body. Widening his eyes slightly behind his glasses, he was completely blindsided by the triple punch to his face that sent him careening across the forest floor. Across both brothers faces were a plethora of black splotch-like marks, marking his activation of their cursed seal.

"You were smart to try to use a clone." Sakon said smugly. "But you forgot, I have eyes in the back of my head."

Shino winced, picking himself up slowly. Despite his prowess at using his kikaichuu, his physical endurance wouldn't last long. And if Sakon continued using whatever trick he'd just used to strike him three times in one blow, he wouldn't last long. Eying Sakon carefully, he realized what it was that he'd been hit by. "I see. So you are capable of utilizing your sibling's limbs in order to make your strikes more potent by adding extra fists to your punches. An intriguing ability, but one that I have no need to see you perform it further." Shifting his gaze to the kikaichuu that had swarmed what he'd thought to be the brothers, he formulated a quick plan. "Of course, that can't possibly be the only usage of your bloodline. Am I right?"

"Yeah, we've got more." Udon said with a chuckle. "But in order to use some of 'em, we've got to go a bit further.

Shino watched interestedly as the black splotches began to spread further across their faces, melding together to form into the image of goblins with red skin. Their hair had lengthened, now coming closer to their mid back, and a single horn had grown; on opposite sides for each brother. However, while their appearance had changed and their chakra had risen slightly, they weren't quite as threatening as they most likely believed themselves to be.

"Well now that's an interesting ability." Shino said, seemingly undisturbed by their shift in appearance.

Sakon glared at Shino, baring his much larger canines at him as he smirked. "Oh yeah, it's interesting. But it's not part of our bloodline."  
That caught Shino off guard. "What?"

"This is the gift Orochimaru gave to us. The cursed seal; a power boost, and one of the most intimidating things you will ever come across in the Shinobi Nations." Sakon said.

"And your bloodline?"

"Not quite as intimidating, but that's only if you don't know what it can do." Udon replied. Maneuvering his head so that it appeared he and Sakon were a two-headed man now, they both grinned viciously. "Let us show you just how dangerous it is!"

They charged forwards, fists clenched tightly as they prepared to finish Shino in one blow. Right as they were within striking distance, Shino suddenly exploded into a wave of kikaichuu once more. This time though, they hadn't prepared a last second Kawarimi, and were quickly enveloped by the insects.

"While I thank you for the information you have supplied to me, I have other obligations to manage." Shino said, standing where the first clone had attempted to consume them. Ignoring the brothers screams of protest, Shino put his hands in his pockets as he watched his kikaichuu eat the entirety of the brothers chakra. Once his insects were done, they lifted off, flying around in a swarm before returning to Shino. Shino looked at Sakon and Udon, no form of expression crossing his face as he viewed their corpses.

Turning away, he took off through the undergrowth towards where he knew Naruto was fighting. He only hopped that he managed to regroup with Naruto in time for them to catch up and support Shikamaru in whatever he'd found.

**-xxxxx-**

Anko and Sasuke landed in a clearing not far from where Anko remembered her hideout once being. With her tracking technique still on, she could almost immediately tell that the person they'd been tracking had either been their recently, or was still there. Holding a finger to her lips, she motioned for Sasuke to follow after her as stealthily as possible.

Sasuke nodded slowly, following Anko's lead. He could begin to make out a rock wall where someone might make use of a cave or part of the cliff to hide away something or someone from the world. It was a rather ingenious location, though he was certain that if one had the right method of tracking it wouldn't be that hard to figure out where to look. Like what Anko was currently doing.

After several moments, Anko paused. "Okay, the cave is just out there. Be ready for anything."

Sidling up to a tree, he peaked around the trunk to get a better view of the cave she'd mentioned. There was a reasonably large clearing between them and the cave, making it difficult to discern much of anything from that distance. He could tell where the cave was though, and he could see someone within the cave doing something. When the person turned and stepped into the light though, he was struck with recognition and surprise.

"Mizuki-sensei?" Sasuke muttered uncertainly. After the Academy, he hadn't really expected to see the assistant teacher again, and seeing him here didn't inspire much confidence. Unlike the regular appearance he'd worn during the Academy – black pants and shirt, with his chunin vest – he was wearing a grey fur vest that was completely open, with his hiate nowhere in sight. He wanted – no, _needed_ – to understand what was going on. "Anko-san, wait here."

"Eh? Sasuke-chan what are you –?"

Sasuke leapt from his hiding spot in the trees, making it seem casual enough that he could fool most into thinking that he'd been tree hopping just seconds before. Preparing himself, he began to act.

He walked forwards, looking around as though he was somewhat confused about where he'd arrived at. Taking a moment, he eventually got around to give Mizuki a semi-startled look. "Mizuki-sensei? What are you doing here?"

Mizuki raised an eyebrow in curiosity, having not expected to see Sasuke of all people in the place where Orochimaru had given him directions to go. Remembering his old teacher role, and having pulled it off seamlessly for years, he quickly slipped back into it as he gave Sasuke a cheerful wave. "Hey Sasuke-san! What are you doing out here?"

Sasuke glanced around, looking wary of his surroundings. "Me and my team were sent out to look for someone who stole from the Nara compound. We split up a ways back to cover more ground so we could find them. Have you seen anyone else around here?"

Mizuki frowned, looking around as though he was trying to remember where he'd seen someone. "No, I can't say I have." He gave Sasuke a friendly grin. "Hey, who's all on your team again? Iruka didn't let me see the results, and I've been so busy stretching my legs I haven't had the time to check up on my old class."

"My jonin sensei is Hatake Kakashi, with Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto as my teammates." As he spoke, Sasuke noticed that for a moment, Mizuki's expression became seething rage. It disappeared almost as soon as it had come, but it had been enough time for Sasuke to notice. "They're just a way's back. If you want we can escort you back to the village from your mission."

"No, that's fine." Mizuki said flippantly. "I'm still on my mission anyways. No need to give the Hokage a heart attack for no good reason, eh?"

Sasuke narrowed his eye slightly, a plan to determine if Mizuki was a friend of foe forming rapidly. "No, it wouldn't." Adopting a thinking pose he remembered Naruto using – as his usually looked like he was brooding – he tapped his chin in thought. "You know, I hear he's thinking about retiring soon."

"Really now?" Mizuki asked, a look of actual interest on his face.

"Yeah. Apparently he's determined he's getting old, and figured that he needs a replacement soon." Smirking inwardly, he continued. "Who do you think will replace him as Godaime, Mizuki-sensei?"

Mizuki tapped his foot gently against the ground, trying to remember the more powerful shinobi that resided within Konoha. "Well, there's always your sensei. He's an elite jonin, and has the skill. Of course, there are a few others, but my main vote would go to –" Mizuki was cut off, ducking to the side as Sasuke threw a handful of shuriken at him. "Sasuke?"

"The Sandaime's already dead." Sasuke muttered, a look of mistrust on his face. "If you were really still a shinobi of Konoha, you'd have known that."

Mizuki blinked, looking Sasuke over carefully. Then, he began laughing. "I forgot you weren't the Rookie of the Year for nothing. Very clever Sasuke." Pulling out a flask he'd been hiding behind his back, he smirked. Bringing the flask to his lips, he chugged it down quickly, ignoring the burning sensation as he greedily finished off the concoction he'd recently finished making. "But now, I've got a bone to pick with your teammate. So if you'll just be a good boy and move, I won't have to kill you."

Now it was Sasuke's turn to blink. "You have a bone to pick with my teammate?" Going over what he knew, and knowing that Sakura had been too good a student to really hate, it didn't take much to figure out what Mizuki was talking about. "Naruto? But why? What did he do?"

"What did he do?" Mizuki snarled. "He ruined everything! All my careful planning, everything I had done for years destroyed because he decided to grow a spine!"

Sasuke scowled, surprisingly bristled at the comment as he glared down Mizuki for his blatantly offensive remark towards his teammate. "What plan? What were you trying to accomplish?"

"Power." Mizuki replied simply. As he spoke, his entire frame seemed to be vibrating as his muscles became slowly more and more defined. Jet black stripe-like marks followed soon after along his biceps with a few down the sides of his face. In a way, Mizuki's markings looked remarkably similar to a tigers stripes. "I had him absolutely convinced that if he just stole the Scroll of Sealing, he could pass and become a genin, just like he'd always dreamed. But when I got there, Iruka had already managed to turn him against me."

"Iruka was there?" Sasuke asked, eyeing the strange new additions to Mizuki. "Why would he be there?"

"Because the scroll was filled with kinjutsu (forbidden jutsu)." Mizuki scoffed. "The idiot was even dumb enough to try to learn one of the techniques."

"His shadow clones." Sasuke muttered, remembering how Naruto had come out with the technique shortly after the genin exams. It was suddenly making sense to him; Naruto had been tricked by Mizuki into stealing the Scroll of Sealing, and Naruto had taken the time to read from it and learn the technique. It did not however explain how Naruto was able to use a _kinjutsu_ of all things without any sort of drawbacks.

"Ah, so he hasn't been very discreet with his new skill?" Mizuki said smugly. Seeing the confusion on Sasuke's face, he attempted to capitalize on the opening. "Oh ho? So he didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what? That he could make a room ten times dumber just by making more of himself?" Sasuke said snidely. It didn't have quite the same bite to it as it might have shortly after he'd graduated, but Mizuki didn't have to know that.

Mizuki chuckled at the barb towards Naruto. "No, I'm taking about the other secret he's been keeping from you. The one that the Sandaime made a law about."

Sasuke was genuinely surprised by this, real emotion crossing his face. "What law?"

"Well you see, about thirteen years ago –"

A barrage of shuriken whirled out of the foliage behind Sasuke, catching Mizuki somewhat off guard as he easily sidestepped them. From her hiding spoke, Anko leapt forwards. "Mizuki! You know better then to break the Sandaime's law! You know what the punishment is!"

"Oh really?" Mizuki said smugly. "Then how is it I'm still breathing?" Noting the startled expression on Anko's face, he smirked. "Oh? Is everyone here uninformed then? Good, then I won't have to repeat myself."

Sasuke glanced between Mizuki and Anko, hesitantly reaching for a kunai as he spoke. "What's he talking about Anko-san?"

Mizuki chuckled. "You see, on the night Naruto stole the Scroll of Sealing, I told him the truth. The very same truth I'm going to tell you. You see, it all started when the Kyuubi attacked thirteen years ago."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, not liking where this was going already. "What about the Kyuubi? The Yondaime killed it."

"No, he didn't. An entity such as the Kyuubi couldn't simply be killed, but there was another way. And that's were the rule comes in."

Anko glanced between Sasuke and Mizuki, a strange conflict in her mind. She knew she couldn't just let Mizuki tell Sasuke such a dangerous secret, it would defeat the whole purposes of the Sandaime's law. However, when she tried to move or speak to stop him, she found herself rooted to the ground. Wincing slightly, she realized that her cursed seal was also pulsating slightly, sending a small pulse of pain similar to when she'd attempted to fight Orochimaru in the Forest of Death.

"You see, the truth is that your teammate Naruto is the Kyuubi no Kitsune!"

For a brief second, Sasuke was completely silent, trying to take that information. It didn't make sense to him; Naruto acted to…dumb, to be an incarnation of an evil fifty foot tall tsunami causing demonic fox entity.

Sasuke's momentary distraction seemed to snap Anko out of her frozen and pained state. Rushing Mizuki, she went through a small string of hand seals as she threw her arms forwards. "Senei Jashu (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)!"

A plethora of snakes launched themselves from her sleeves, attempting to latch onto Mizuki to give Anko the leverage she needed to help take him down. Before they could though, Mizuki blurred forwards. Ignoring the snakes, he ran straight into their midst and straight into Anko, bowling her over. "Ha! So you're Orochimaru's former student? Obviously he didn't give you any of his more useful techniques." Flexing his fist, he grinned, revealing elongated canines. "Like this power booster he gave to me. With it, I'll rip you two apart, and then finish what I started by killing Naruto."

"No. You won't." Sasuke scowled. Digging deep, he brushed against his curse seal without hesitation. As the dark marks crossed his face, his scow turned into a smirk. "You think you're so special? Let's see just how 'special' you really are."

* * *

AN: Huh, this came to me faster then I thought.

Just so you all know, the three toads Naruto summoned (Gamakanbou, Akira, and Taira) will be the most common of Naruto's summons later in the story. Gamabunta is cool and all, but being a 50-foot toad kinda defeats the purpose of being stealthy.

For those of you who are actually wondering (because they forgot) why Naruto isn't doing his patented 'spam clones' thing, the answer is simple. Naruto still thinks he'll bleed if he makes to many. I mean, he bit on a stick to make sure he didn't clench his teeth when his clone exploded. He'll learn, but being cautious of his clones will be a boon to him later...much later, but still.

And Sasuke confronts Mizuki. I'm really not sure how or why, but Mizuki not getting killed for either of his crimes in the anime didn't make much sense to me. So for now, I'm labling it under 'misfiled paperword'. Oh, and he spilt Naruto's secret to Sasuke. That won't end well...for Mizuki.

By the way, has anyone seen Shikamaru? I've been trying to find him, but his plot just seems to have disappeared. If you find him, let me know so I can get his lazy butt back into the upcoming chapter like he's supposed to be. Freaking genius, probably cloud watching somewhere (grumbling).

Next time on Word of Honor; _Konoha Doesn't Back Down_. When it comes to fighting, and protecting their teammates, Konoha's always been more the capable; watch as their combined strength conquers those who seek to put them down.


	41. Konoha Doesn't Back Down

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Word of Honor**

_Chapter 41: Konoha Doesn't Back Down_

Tayuya leapt high into the trees as a pressurized shot of water ripped through the place where she'd previously been standing. Wishing she could curse the toad who was attacking her, she pushed the thought to the side as she focused on conducting her melody to maneuver her Doki to eat the toad's physical chakra out so it couldn't spit water at her anymore. All the while, she had to also keep constantly aware of the other two toads that would randomly pop out of the forest to either ambush herself or her Doki.

Had anyone told her she'd be running for her life from a group of toads, she'd ask them for whatever crack they'd been smoking. After all, sans Jiraiya, no one could summon toads, and while she was one of Orochimaru's bodyguards, she was also reasonably certain that Orochimaru wouldn't get into conflict with Jiraiya anytime soon. Yet here she was, fighting someone who'd somehow managed to get a hold of Jiraiya's contract. Worse yet, he'd run off after Kidomaru, meaning he was currently beating her without even being present.

'_This couldn't possibly get any worse.'_ Tayuya inwardly mused, focusing on blocking Akira's kusarigama again. Not being a woman versed in the art of science, she didn't know about Murphy's Law; which was now coming back to bite her.

"Do you require assistance summon-san?"

"***!" Tayuya shouted, nearly slipping off the branch she'd been perched on. Behind her, Shino stared down at her with an unreadable expression. "How did you…aw *** Sakon and Udon are dead aren't they?"

"Indeed." Shino said, slowly raising his hands to a point parallel with his body. A low buzzing came from his sleeves as a swarm began to form around each of his hands. "If you continue to persist in your current actions, I feel you will suffer the same fate that your companions met."

Tayuya wanted to shout and curse loudly at Shino, to tell him off and send her Doki off to beat him to death. Before she could do so though, the bark next to her exploded as another shot of water ripped through it, reminding her of her current battle. Turning around, she winced as she realized that all three of her Doki were now pinned down with no room for escape beyond unsummoning them.

Returning her gaze to Shino tentatively, she scowled at him. "This isn't over yet bug boy."

Sending a quick spike of chakra out, she returned her Doki to their realm of existence. Knowing better then to stick around, she bolted as quickly as she could in the opposite direction of her four opponents.

"Oi, are we just gonna let her go?" Akira asked, slowly rewrapping the chain of his kusarigama around his arm.

"We have more pressing matters to attend to." Shino replied, commanding his kikaichuu to return within him.

Akira eyed Shino for a couple of moments, an odd look in his eyes. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke up. "I noticed you have some pests flying around. Need me to help with that?"

Shino's demeanor didn't appear to change much, but anyone who was versed in studying the minor changes in a person would have recognized that Shino had gone ramrod straight at Akira's question, shifting himself ever so slightly into a more defensive position should Akira decide he didn't care what he said. "They are my kikaichuu, I require them if I wish to continue fighting."

Akira shrugged. "Meh, I figured I should ask. Good thing I did too. Kikaichuu give me indigestion."

That didn't help settle Shino's nerves any. "We should depart and give Naruto-san our assistance now that we have concluded our own battles."

"Right," Gamakanbou muttered, having completely forgotten that they'd left Naruto to fight alone in the heat of the battle. "Let's get going then."

**-xxxxx-**

Had anyone told Naruto that he would one day be fighting a giant spider, he would likely have laughed at them and told them giant spiders didn't exist. Should they have convinced him that they _did_ exist, Naruto would have shouted that he would just beat the crap out of the spider with his bare hands (and maybe a couple awesome high powered jutsu), prove his awesomeness, and would be considered so strong that he'd be promoted straight to Hokage. That person would have then laughed, and idly brushed off his claim as ridiculous.

Naruto was now proud to say that he could live up to his boast. Kyodaigumo had started strong, its large form making it intimidating and stronger then little Naruto. Unfortunately for the large spider, Naruto was far faster and more agile. Slipping around the oversized legs that attempted to crush him, he began a nerve striking barrage of strikes to the junction between the spider's head and its back half.

Kidomaru cursed as he spat out another golden kunai to add to his small collection. Made of the hard-as-steel golden spider web, they could be utilized exactly the same as a normal kunai could. However, without a direct line of sight, he was finding himself increasingly frustrated as he spat out another kunai. By hiding under Kyodaigumo, he couldn't get through without harming Kyodaigumo. He wasn't against going through Kyodaigumo just yet though; it was still buying him some time for his counterassault.

Naruto gave a loud war shout as he charged even more chakra into his strike. "Dengeki (Electric Shock)!" Feeling the rush of energy flowing into his hand, he slammed it into the spider violently. Kyodaigumo screeched as the nerves that had painfully been taking a beating for the past couple of minutes were completely fried by the attack. Kyodaigumo stumbled back, its middle four legs twitching as it moved; after several agonizing seconds it seemed to explode into a cloud of smoke as it returned to the summon realm to fix its injuries. Naruto punched a fist in the air, as he gave a whoop of triumph. "Oh yeah! Who's the little man now?"

Naruto's victory was short lived as one of Kidomaru's golden kunai slammed into his arm. Realizing he hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings, he focused outwards. Yelping in surprise, he began twisting himself awkwardly to avoid the sudden rain-barrage Kidomaru had unleashed on him.

Kidomaru watched in interest as Naruto when from easy target to being nigh impossible to hit. Dodging, weaving, and bending in ways that made him raise an eyebrow, he threw the last handful of kunai all at once. They were clustered tightly enough together, and Naruto had wound up turning his back to Kidomaru; a mistake that would kill any other person.

His aim was true, and Naruto stumbled forwards as the kunai became imbedded in his back. Before he could congratulate himself on his kill, Naruto was enveloped in a cloud of smoke. When the smoke cleared there was a log in his place. Recognizing the potential danger, Kidomaru began to move.

"I'm back!" Naruto shouted, dropping from a branch above Kidomaru and delivering a powerful hammer fist to the back of his skull. Unlike when Naruto had first knocked him down, Kidomaru didn't have a moment to create his Nenkin no Yoroi (Armor of Sticky Gold) to protect himself from his painful descent back to earth. Hitting the ground, he winced as he heard a crack from his ribs, likely one of them fracturing or breaking from the impact.

Kidomaru pushed himself to the side, avoiding the follow up ax-kick that Naruto tried to follow up with. Seeing an opportunity, he leapt forwards and gripped Naruto by the neck. Lifting him into the air, he grinned nastily. One of the perks of having six arms; two could be occupied with holding an opponent up to strangle them, two could grip his victim by the wrists to prevent jutsu's, and the last two could be used to beat them until they passed out.

Drawing back his fist, he buried it into Naruto's gut. Naruto's eyes bugged out slightly, what was left of his air being expelled harshly. He tried to gasp for more air, but found himself lacking as Kidomaru's hands tightened around his throat. Flailing near-helplessly, he tried to think of some way to fight back. Luckily for him, thinking wasn't his strong suit; instinct was.

His vision beginning to become spotty, he felt his legs freely swinging from not touching the ground. Swinging them slightly, he swung his knees up to where they were even with his face and parallel with the ground; dead even with Kidomaru's face. His shorter stature paid off, as he chambered his legs tight against his face before lashing brutally into Kidomaru's face. Being released and falling to the ground, Naruto felt a twinge of satisfaction as he heard the crack of Kidomaru's nose followed by a stream of curses directed at him.

Kidomaru shook his head, quickly regaining his bearings. Seeing Naruto getting back up, he hissed angrily. His cursed seal began to blend together, changing his appearance dramatically. His skin turned deep red, his hair grower longer and turns a light greyish color. On his forehead and elbows, he grew a set of horns, with an extra eye slowly opening in the center of his forehead. The entire form made him look more spider-like, almost oni-like in appearance. Gathering chakra to his mouth, he spit out a wad of webbing. "Kumo Souka (Spider Web Flower)!"

Still trying to get blood and oxygen to his head, Naruto was blindsided by the wad of sticky webbing that launched him off his feet. He flew backwards for several meters before he finally connected harshly with a tree. Before he had time to regain his senses, Kidomaru had already covered the distance between them and began to unleash a flurry of blows on Naruto.

After a moment, when Kidomaru began to quell his sense of violence, he stepped back, looking over his handiwork. Surprisingly, there wasn't much to see. Despite the damage he was sure he'd done, he hadn't his Naruto's face more then once or twice. The other damage though managed to shine through, as Naruto struggled against the bindings.

"Hm, I think I could make this work." Kidomaru muttered. Seeing one of his kunai nearby, he casually walked over and picked it up. Spinning it idly, he returned to Naruto and gripped him by the back of his hair. Tilting his head back, he placed the kunai against the bottom of his eye. "This is going to be fun."

Drawing the kunai back to jam it into Naruto's eye, Kidomaru had no time to react as he suddenly found himself flying across the clearing and into a tree of his own. Quickly regaining his bearings, he glared across the field to see who'd hit him. On the other side of the clearing, landing between him and Naruto, was Shino and Naruto's summons.

"Naruto-san, are you alright?" Shino asked, immediately giving his attention to Naruto. Seeing Naruto was not all there just yet, he channeled his kikaichuu along the webbing to suck out the chakra and eat through it.

Kidomaru scowled, glancing between Shino and the toads. Seeing he was outnumbered, and feeling himself beginning to run low on chakra, he grit his teeth before shouting loudly. "We'll meet again, Konoha gaki!"

Shino glanced at the fleeing Kidomaru before returning his attention to Naruto. Were the mission parameters different, he would have immediately gone after him and attempted to stop him. Since their mission was initially to observe though, he focused on making sure his team wasn't killed on his first mission. "Naruto-san, are you alright?"

"Oh yeah, I'll be fine." Naruto muttered, the strands of webbing slowly being pealed off of him. "Hey, guess what? I fought spider man."

"Really now." Shino said monotonously, noting once again that Naruto was strung up in webbing.

"Uh-huh, but then he turned into a red goblin." Naruto laughed, still somewhat delirious from the recent lack of oxygen and blow to his head when he'd hit the tree. "Hey Shino, have I ever told you your kikaichuu are awesome?"

"You may have mentioned it once."

"Well, people need to say it more. 'Cause they're so awesome." Naruto said with a large grin. As he said this, the bindings that held him to the tree were released and he stumbled forwards. Before he could hit the ground, Shino gripped his shoulders and helped him remain upright. "Yeah…you and your bugs are so awesome. Thanks."  
"…thank you Naruto-san." Shino muttered, not certain how he should react to praise like that.

"Hey guys!" Naruto waved to the toads, having just noticed them. "Did you see where Shikamaru went?"

Shino nodded. "I know where he went Naruto-san; I planted a kikaichuu on both of you shortly after we left the village. We can leave just as soon as you get your head straight."

Naruto blinked owlishly. "You did? Huh…did I mention your kikaichuu are freaking awesome?"

"You could stand to mention it again." Shino said, almost happily.

"Well they're awesome." Naruto said, nodding his head in agreement with himself.

"Shino-san, we should probably find where your teammate went." Gamakanbou said, getting Shino's attention again.

Shino's brow furled slightly. "I know. However, Naruto is the heavy hitter, and should something go wrong I need him at one hundred percent."

"Who needs him when you go me?" Akira muttered, letting the weight of his kusarigama swing like a pendulum.

Shino gave Akira the Aburame variation of a scowl; head tilted down to hide his mouth behind his high collared coat, and his hair shadowing his already sunglasses-covered eyes. "He is my teammate, and is a friend of mine. While I'm sure you have your talents in your particular art, I better understand how Naruto utilizes his techniques, and how they might be used in combat."

Akira sneered at Shino's comment, certain it was an insult. Before he could make a sharp retort, Gamakanbou hopped between them. "Enough Akira. Now is not the time or the place." Turning to Shino, Gamakanbou bowed as much as he could. "Forgive my friend Shino-san, Akira is…stubborn, but he is skilled. We will remain with you until Naruto regains himself and can move on his own."

Taira stepped forwards, gripping Naruto under his arm. Giving Shino a small nod, he pulled Naruto over his shoulder so he lay squarely on his back. Seeing his teammate secured safely, Shino begrudgingly gave them a small nod of approval. "Thank you for your support."

"Yeah, let's call it that." Akira muttered.

Shino ignored Akira's comment, focusing on where Shikamaru had gone with his female kikaichuu. "Okay, let's go."

**-xxxxx-**

Sasuke was angry. No, scratch that, he was pissed off beyond all belief. There was a point where he swore only Itachi, his older brother, could be on the receiving end of such utter rage. Now, he was wondering how he'd kept such anger trapped within him for so long without snapping and lashing out at anything and everything.

Taking a deep breath, he whipped his fireball at Mizuki like a flail again. Mizuki, his speed boosted by the concoction he'd drank, blurred into motion as he flipped away. This was the way the fight had been going for the past couple of minutes; Sasuke would lash out with a fireball, and Mizuki would dodge and try to retaliate. The only thing that kept them from hitting one another was lightning fast reaction time.

On the other side of the clearing, Anko began to pick herself back up. She was somewhat startled that Mizuki had been able to hit her so hard, and hadn't had a moment to ready herself and counter. Wrapping an arm around her waist, she turned to the fight, watching in awe as she saw the two clashing.

Mizuki was quite obviously faster then Sasuke was; he was older and more experience, and Orochimaru's formula was obviously working quite well at the moment. Sasuke on the other hand, was barely keeping up through sheer willpower and his curse seal mark. Watching them continue to duke it out, she allowed herself a moment of reprieve to think over what her next move would be.

As she did so, she caught sight of something that made her pause. Thinking it over, her eyebrow began to twitch in aggravation. "Sasuke-chan, stop playing around and activate your Sharingan already!"

"What?" Sasuke asked, turning and giving Anko a startled glance. The moment was enough for Mizuki to slip past his raging ball of fire and slam his fist into his gut. Sasuke tumbled backwards, trying to put his feet back under him to get back into the fight, only to have Mizuki kick him and send him into the upper part of the forest in mid spin.

"Sasuke!" Anko shouted, rushing Mizuki's exposed back. Before she was able to get within striking distance, Mizuki had already changed targets. Her eyes widened as Mizuki was suddenly beside her, his arm sticking out to clothesline her. She was knocked over almost immediately, wincing as she tumbled across the hardened ground.

Mizuki came to an abrupt stop, grinning darkly as he turned and walked back to where Anko now lay. "You still don't get it. Orochimaru didn't give you anything because you're weak! Look at how the power he's given me has allowed me to surpass you within moments, while you floundered around in your pathetic state for years." Taking out a kunai, he spun it into a reversed grip as he held it over her head. "I think now is as good a time as any to clean up the trash Orochimaru forgot to take care of."

Anko had no time to think, no space to move as Mizuki brought his kunai down, still desperate for breath. With no hope for conventional escape, she threw her arm in front of her to try and block the kunai to give her a few seconds. From there, she would be able to unleash a wave of snakes to finish him.

Mizuki's kunai pierced through her hand without remorse, delving through and into her skull with a sickening thud. It was so easy it was like the hand had never been raised in defense. Finished with his first opponent, he stood and began turning to address the issue of Sasuke, when Anko burst into smoke. Flinching in surprise, he grimaced as he realized that he'd stabbed a log instead of Anko. With an angry roar, he burst into the forest, intent on destroying the two of them once and for all.

Within the forest, Anko looked around in confusion. Disoriented by her change in scenery, she tried to sit up to get a better look. Before she could, a hand was placed on her chest, forcing her back into the brush. "Stay down, Mizuki's coming."

Anko traced the hand to its owner, wondering how it had taken her so long to figure out what she was seeing. " Sasuke? What just happened?"

Sasuke shook his head, pushing her down when she tried to get up again. "Mizuki's coming."

"Sasuke." Anko said, her voice dropping to a more dangerous tone. Realizing he wasn't going to budge due to over seriousness, she glanced down at his hand. "My Sasuke-chan, I never thought you'd be so forward."

"Eh? Wha –" Sasuke snapped his hand back, his face becoming a fierce red. "Oh snap, I'm so sorry Anko-san!"

"Good, now you're paying attention." Anko said, sliding up to Sasuke's eye level. "Now tell me, what just happened?"

Sasuke's expression quickly reshaped itself back to a flat, unimpressed expression. "Oh, that. It was just a Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Replacement Technique)."

"…and?"

"And what?"

Anko looked at him incredulously. "I'm being serious here. What kind of technique allows you to teleport a teammate out of danger like that?"

Sasuke shrugged. "The one I just said?"

"That only replaces the user with an object. It doesn't –" Anko paused, a thought coming to mind. "You trained under Ebisu for the Chunin Exams, right?"

"Yes." Sasuke said, peering out of their spot to look for Mizuki.

"And he taught you that whole, 'the basics are better then they seem' thingy? And you actually tried that?" Getting a nod in response, Anko felt herself gawk at him stupidly. "But, that's not possible. The Kawarimi can't do something as complicated as transport someone other then the user."

Sasuke snorted, glancing back at Anko with a rather smug grin. "You're alive because I did just that. Or did you forget that?" Glancing around for Mizuki once more, he sighed at the small moment they had to breathe and for him to help explain. "I followed Ebisu's instructions, but in the end, I had to figure out how to do most of my more complicated forms of my techniques on my own. The real funny part though, was where my inspiration came from." Sasuke chuckled at the memory of what he'd used as a basis for all of his current modifications to his techniques. Seeing Anko was still lost, he explained. "I just had to learn to start asking myself, 'what would Naruto do?'"

"…seriously?"

"Seriously." Sasuke admitted. "I'd been having trouble making my fireball become the ever so flashy fireball-flail you saw me use a little bit ago, and remembered how Naruto used a Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique) to turn himself into a shuriken, and somehow made himself aerodynamic enough to be thrown. When I began wondering how he did it, I figured he just kinda…did it. No real logic or follow-able method to his madness; just random, unfiltered Naruto-stupidity." Chuckling again, he added. "Whenever I think 'it can't be done', I swear I see Naruto standing ahead of me with a smirk saying 'watch me'."

"That is so cute. You actually think the demon is trying to help you."

Sasuke deadpanned at the voice, not bothering to look up as he spoke. "Well he's doing a better job then you did. At least he's too dumb to try and trick me."

Mizuki roared in laughter. "Oh, you still think that? Truly, even the piercing eyes of the great Uchiha are susceptible to deception. You even hang around with the student of a traitor!"

Sasuke slowly pushed himself to his feet, his onyx eyes staring up at Mizuki like an abyss. "You're one to talk. Orochimaru gave you…whatever that stuff is, and you took it. You didn't think about the fact he was a traitor, you greedily took it and became exactly what you've been calling Anko; a student of a traitor."

"Maybe." Mizuki admitted, cracking his knuckled threateningly. "But I'm still more powerful then you are, so I'd say it's worth it."

Diving down from his perch, he collided with the ground heavily. Sasuke rolled out of the way, a smirk crossing his face as he did so. Before Mizuki could question why he was smirking, black letters scrolled across the ground beneath him. Recognizing what he was seeing, Mizuki tried to get out of the way. Before he could, the giant snake Anko had slunk off to summon appeared in a burst of smoke, chomping down on the traitorous chunin.

Anko looked over at her summon warily. It wasn't uncommon for snakes to swallow their prey whole, which – for shinobi – gave some enough time to escape. Since she didn't know what sort of techniques he had, she remained on guard until she was certain he was dead.

Not seeing any movement from her snake, she sighed lightly. "Alright, I think it's –"

The snake suddenly convulsed, making a hacking noise with a loud screech of pain. Before their eyes, the sides of the snake's throat bulged out, its eyes widening before it let out a death rattle and fell to the ground. A few seconds later, Mizuki shoved its mouth open, snapping the top half of its skull in half as he strode out. He'd changed slightly from his previous form; the stripes had grown increasingly darker, he'd lost his vest which revealed more of his now increasingly muscular frame, and parts of his skin had turned orange. His transformation had made him look increasingly more like a tiger.

"Ha, is that the best you have? Next time you wanna summon something, choose something that remembers to chew its food before it swallows." Mizuki grunted. Turning around, he gripped the carcass of the snake, easily lifting it in his arms. "Here, you can have it back!"

Whipping it around, the snake's tail end began crashing through several trees as it struck them. Anko and Sasuke had to abandon their positions, quickly retreating back a ways. Their eyes continued widening in shock as the snake was suddenly airborne, crashing through on a dangerous collision course for the two of them at high speeds. Recognizing the threat of the oncoming object, Sasuke dug his foot into the ground and tackled Anko.

Mizuki growled, his form making the noise echo slightly. With the boost in power, he'd noticed the momentary burst of smoke before the snake had crashed down on them. "You know, I'm really starting to get annoyed by that technique."

Sasuke groaned as he rolled off of Anko. He'd never actually thought of using the Kawarimi with another person before, and was genuinely surprised that he'd pulled it off. There were likely some guidelines that said that doing something like that was stupid, but at the moment he was just glad he wasn't crushed under a snake.

"Owie…Sasuke-chan, what was that?"

Sasuke shook himself off, quickly getting to his feet. Feeling oddly lightheaded, he glanced at Anko. Noting something off, he activated his Sharingan and looked her over. Noting something off about her, he narrowed his eyes and searched closer. Placing his hand on her shoulder to help her up, he paused in confusion as he noted something odd. When he looked at his hand, he could see the light residue of his chakra lingering from his different techniques. Then, looking at her, he took note of her chakra.

"Huh, that's weird." Sasuke muttered. After a couple of seconds of observation and committing the oddity to memory, he pulled her to her feet. "You okay?"  
"Ugh, yeah I think so." Anko whispered. Shaking her head a bit, she took a steadying breath. After a moment, she snapped her eyes open and growled. "Okay, I'm getting sick of running away. Can we please take the fight to him now?"

Hearing a loud snap of a branch behind them, they slowly turned around. Mizuki stood with a feral snarl, a broken _log_ crushed beneath his feet. "No need for that, I'm right here."

"Goodie." Sasuke said, a grin crossing his face. "Round two."

**-xxxxx-**

Aoi smirked as he made his way through the minefield of traps that had been set up to keep intruders out of the shrine. With the map provided by Orochimaru's Sound Four, he was making great time towards his final destination. Soon, unstoppable power would be within his grasp.

He had to laugh lightly at the irony of what he was doing. Waiting until his four guides were preoccupied, he'd slunk away unnoticed. There was so much he had to do; waiting for them to finish some other mission Orochimaru had given them was of no consequence to him.

Finishing his journey through the perpetual minefield, he stopped in front of the large double doors that were the last thing that bared his path to power. At eye level, there was a circle of twelve stones that he knew – thanks to the map – were actually set as a secret combination lock. Depressing four of the stones, he stepped back, watching as the doors slowly swung open. The smirk that crossed his face was undiminished by the seemingly expansive and the many things that were carefully placed within the room. He knew what he was here for, and where it was; nothing could distract him from his goal.

Walking through the room, he took a brief moment to admire the different items that were carefully placed, and painstakingly taken care of. Large scrolls with purposes many had speculated on but never discovered, a variety of old and long unused weapons from battles long since passed, and the remains of several hiate pieces that had been broken and taken here to be preserved.

Within the hall of what he considered to be junk, he finally caught sight of his target. A set of red armor, perched on a mannequin of a very, very familiar face. Aoi scowled as he stared into the face he'd had to wake up to every morning when he'd been in Konoha, one that he felt was constantly judging him and his slow progress.

"Hey Shodaime-sama." Aoi muttered softly, pulling out the Raijin. "Sorry about this, but you're in the way right now."  
Channeling lightning chakra into the Raijin, snapping the electric blade to life. With a nonchalant wave of the lightning blade, he ripped off the head of the Shodaime. Grinning darkly, he began stripping the armor off the Shodaime.

That was the greatest secret he could have found from the instructions Orochimaru's informants had given him. While the armor was Madara's, it had been placed on the Shodaime to prevent anyone from stealing it. The only problem was, the _real_ armor the Shodaime wore was buried with him. Which meant that until someone discovered his newfound secret, he was untouchable.

Hiding behind a wall, Shikamaru slowly leaned around the corner to see what Aoi was doing. He'd followed Aoi's path, and left an array of markers to lead Naruto and Shino the way Aoi had gone in case there were any traps he'd missed. He was certain he'd be caught when he had to traverse the wide expanse between the forest and the shrine, but his worry had proven unnecessary as Aoi was arrogantly confident that no one was followed him. He hadn't even bothered to look around before walking in.

Shikamaru snorted lightly. He was notorious for being lazy, but even he was regarded by his team as being highly aware of his surroundings. Lazy yes; suicidal and stupid, no.

As he watched Aoi began shifting the armor into place, he wondered if waiting for his team to catch up was really such a good idea. Granted he was just a fresh chunin facing a seasoned shinobi – the rank of which he didn't know – but he had the element of surprise. Placing his fingers together into his thinking pose, he tried to figure out all the possibilities he had.

Aoi finished strapping the armor on, not noting any difference for a full moment. Testing his rang of motion, he slowly eased into the odd feel the armor had. It was lightweight, yet solid, and would protect him from damage. As for special qualities, he was greatly unimpressed.

It was only once he began channeling chakra that he discovered the truth. Curious about the armor, he'd begun a small chakra exercise. The moment he did so, he felt his chakra begin to change. The normal, murky blue color became fowler and fowler in color, till he was certain it was quickly nearing midnight black. As the chakra continued to siphon off and shift, a dark laugh escaped his lips. Slowly but surely, it became more and more hysterical, until he was laughing so hard he broke Shikamaru out of his trance.

Turning to the laughing shinobi and noting his chakra's change, Shikamaru frowned lightly as he ran a hand through his hair. "Man, this is so troublesome." Hearing a click, he glanced at the place where Aoi had stood a moment before, only to find it devoid of anything. His eyes widened slightly. "Uh oh."

**-xxxxx-**

"Well, that sucked." Kidomaru muttered, taking a moment to catch his breath.

"No kidding." Tayuya muttered. Were it not for the fact she was too busy catching her breath, Tayuya would have made a wittier retort.

"So, what do we do about our mission now?" Kidomaru asked, glancing towards Tayuya. Sakon was the leader of the Sound Four, but deducing from the fact that Shino had arrived to help both the toads and Naruto, they'd easily guessed that he wasn't likely alive anymore. Since Tayuya was still more powerful then he was, Kidomaru decided to step back and let her take her position as the default leader.

"*** I don't know." Tayuya muttered softly, leaning against her tree for support against the oncoming feeling of chakra exhaustion.

As far as the mission went, it had quickly gone downhill the moment they'd decided to ambush the Konoha shinobi. While she hadn't really spoken for or against it, she figured she'd likely have just ignored the brats and moved on to their mission of giving the Uchiha Orochimaru's proposition. With two of their members down (three if you count Udon), things were going to have to be done a bit differently. Which meant improvisation, proper planning, and a speech that would make Sasuke realize just what kind of powers he was dealing with.

Tayuya wearily lifted her head to look at Kidomaru. "Okay, first things first. I'm gonna take a quick nap so I don't act like I'm dying over here, and then we'll put our heads together to think up something impressive sounding to blow the Uchiha's *** mind."

"Alright, you do that." Kidomaru said, watching Tayuya quickly slip off into blissful unconsciousness. Sitting back, Kidomaru weighed their losses.

Jirobo wasn't really that big of a lose, unless one counted simply how _big_ he was. He had been one of the strongest physically, but that didn't matter much in the long run as the three other members easily outclassed him. He'd been on deaths doorstep when they'd all fought Kimimaro, their leader when they were known as the Sound Five, and had been comatose for a week before he'd begun recovering.

Sakon and Udon on the other hand were a more severe loss. The leader of their group before Kimimaro, and after his sickness, he'd proven – _they'd_ proven – to be a force to be reckoned with. Not only that, but both were exceedingly knowledgeable on Fuinjutsu, and could perform sealing techniques that would require the other members to ask for assistance doing. This would mean that they couldn't transport Sasuke to Orochimaru already prepped with his cursed seal's level two state activated; something that would displease their lord greatly.

On the other hand, the two members that were left over were more then capable of carrying their weight. Kidomaru himself was a brilliant man, who's analytical skills were unmatched by all but a few of the more powerful members of Otogakure. Tayuya on the other hand, was a brilliant tactician, as had been proved time and again by her utilization of her Doki like pieces in a strategy game to flush out and destroy her opponents for her.

Kidomaru nodded. While they'd lost much of the power behind the Sound Four, this setup wasn't horrible. Between the two of them, they'd likely be able to pull of whatever plan they thought up, simply because both knew what they were doing.

Now all he had to do was wait. And he was ever so good at waiting.

* * *

AN: Fun stuff this.

Okay, so two of the Sound Four are still alive. They were pretty much screwed if they stayed since they were hopelessly outnumbers. Plus, I can do more with them then with their teammates.

I think my favorite part of this chapter was Sasuke's Kawarimi varient, and how he thought of it. He's showing he's got some good in him, mainly inspired by Naruto's bullheadedness. And...that might be funnier if I think about it. Hm...so many possibilities.

Tried to take some advice about my battle scenes...not sure if it worked. Still continuing in my attempt to get better then the day before! (yes, I've taken Team Gai's motto, it works for me)

Next time on Word of Honor; _Strength Torn Asunder_.


	42. Strength Torn Asunder

_Author slowly rises from smoke with arms out like someone from a movie (bonus points if you know which)._

I LIVE! So tell me what mortal's need my storytelling on Fanfiction. You just say the word, and I'll be there. And let me say something else, anyone who's willing to read MY story, SATISFACTION will be OURS!

...oh, um...hi there. Ignore that outburst there, it's time to wake up this story and bring back this Word of Honor storyline!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Or the idea for this story. The plot I do own, so...well, we'll see how that turns out to be. Should be fun...for me. *evil laughter*

* * *

_Chapter 42: Strength Torn Asunder_

Shikamaru was a calm man, seeing getting flustered as 'to troublesome', which helped keep him from getting twitchy or nervous in situations that required a hint of finesse to pull off. At least, that's what he'd believed. Now he was under the pressure of an enemy he couldn't see, and with an aura of killing intent that was so foul he wondered how things nearby weren't blackened by it. To stay where he was seemed almost suicidal and only the faint traces of rationality reminded him that his opponent didn't know that he was even here yet.

Taking small breaths to refocus, he pressed his fingers together to think of what he knew. Aoi had his hands on armor; that was alright, he could fight around armor. This particular armor had somehow altered his chakra to the latent darkness it now currently was; this was far more troublesome, as he didn't know what it meant or could do. He also had a weapon that appeared to be a bolt of lightning that came from a hilt; …this he could use if push came to shove.

More importantly, the traitor had shown that he required a map to get into this place. If he could take it from him, he could coax him into going straight into the trap laden grounds around them and essentially take care of himself. Which lead him right back to the issue at hand of Shikamaru listening as carefully as he could for Aoi.

"Okay. Now he's gone. This…can't be good." Shikamaru muttered. His eyes darted around the admittedly large room, ceiling and otherwise, trying to find the invisible shinobi. Biting his lip, he pulled back and glanced at the sky.

"Hello little spy."

"…troublesome."

Diving to the side, he barely saw a hint of the lightning-like blade that sliced into where his torso had once been. Cursing softly, he pulled out a kunai and threw it where he guessed Aoi was standing. To his shock, it actually bounced off him, revealing a small trace of where he was before he vanished again. Frowning, he listened carefully, looking at the ground or otherwise for any clues as to where he was.

"Behind you." Aoi whispered in the young Chunin's ear, the Raijin no Ken slashing across the back of his vest.

Yelping in alarm, Shikamaru bolted forwards, rolling to look behind him. Now fully allowing himself to be seen, Aoi chuckled darkly. Throwing his head back, he laughed rancorously as he pointed his blade at Shikamaru. "Oh, Konoha was so _blind_ to leave this alone. It's worth one thousand shinobi like you, and then some! To be able to simply…vanish, and then strike, is a valuable shinobi tool."

As though to prove his point, Aoi vanished again, to which Shikamaru grit his teeth. There was something he was missing that was right in front of his face, but he couldn't tell what it was for the life of him. To make matters worse, Aoi decided to taunt him, and Aoi knew how to throw his voice.

"Sarutobi always feared what he could not understand, what he couldn't control. It's why the village has gotten soft, and grown fat." Aoi whispered, his voice echoing in the small clearing. A dark chuckle, malicious and dangerous, resounded a moment after. "Look at you, flailing around like an infant in the dark. Am I truly so terrifying that a Chunin like you can't keep up with a little old Jonin from Ame? Pathetic. For one from Konoha to have fallen like this…I knew leaving was the right choice."

"At least I don't need to turn invisible to taunt my foes." Shikamaru said, trying to goad Aoi a bit. If he could get him to show himself, he might have a chance at using his Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Possession Technique) to grab him. Sadly, Aoi's laugh proved he knew more than Shikamaru currently did.

"And let a Nara get ahold of me? Please, I'm empowered, and no less dangerous than before. However, if you wish to see me…"

"…you got behind me again didn't you?" Shikamaru said after a moment. The static feeling against the back of his neck made him wince as he sighed. "…so troublesome."

"Suidama (Water Bullet)!"

The feeling of the Raijin no Ken suddenly disappeared, an odd wet feeling replacing it. Like water that had been sprayed against the back of his neck. Glancing to the side, he blinked as he saw Naruto, Shino, and three battle toads emerge from the forest. Remembering the traps, he raised his arms to stop them. "Wait! Its booby trapped!"

Naruto apparently didn't hear what he said, boldly rushing into the field. A second later, the ground beneath his feet began to collapse seconds before a tower of fire erupted from the depths of it. Naruto, lucky to have such good friends, was saved by Akira and Shino grabbing the hem of his shirt and yanking him back. Blinking at the sudden fire, he glanced at his saviors.

"Thanks." He said, picking himself up. "Okay, so the field has pillars of fire…awesome. Any ideas?"

Shino stared blankly across the field, the only indication of there being any traps at all being the first one they'd just encountered. Turning to Naruto, he contemplated their options. "From what I can tell, we'll need to move quickly if we are to assist Shikamaru, which leaves us with very few options."

Naruto nodded, his mind going over what it could to try and think up anything that could help. "Okay…and what would they be?"

"Our first option would be to send you across to attempt to out speed the traps, and then have us follow. This is dangerous, but possible."

"…and the option that doesn't involve me getting potentially turned into human barbeque?"

"We make our way slowly through to find the places that aren't trapped." Shino glanced at Shikamaru, who had glanced in and was giving them a worried look. With their foe out of their line of sight, it was simple enough to put two and two together. "I do not believe that Shikamaru would appreciate that very much thought. Speed is imperative."

"There's always the third option." Akira said after a moment. Getting the other two's attention, he shrugged. "Naruto used it earlier in the…poorly named, 'Leap Frog' approach. Basically, we give each other boosts, and then as we summons fall, we can go home to avoid the traps. That way, Naruto can summon us if you have need of us on the other side."

Naruto blinked for a second, a grin quickly forming as he saw how that could work. "...anyone else against this?"

Hearing no complaints, Shino got onto Akira's back. Glancing at Naruto, he was surprised when Naruto got into Gamakanbou's arms instead. "Naruto-san, what are you – "

"No time, go now!" Akira shouted. With a boost from Taira, Akira launched into the air. At that same moment, Naruto was launched by Gamakanbou, his arms quickly forming a familiar cross shaped seal as a clone appeared beneath him.

'_Ah, I see. That's a more logical move then I realized.'_ Shino thought, snapping to attention when they reached the peak of their arc. Gathering himself together, he pushed off and launched himself towards the building, Akira disappearing a moment after he'd provided the needed boost. In that same second, Naruto created a trio of clones that interlocked their arms to allow Naruto a platform to grip onto and launch off of as well, allowing him to travel with Shino without wasting multiple trips. _'Now we just need to…hm, Naruto seems to have gotten his trajectory wrong.'_

"Oh crap!" Naruto shouted, flailing as he fell towards the very center of the building rather than the side with Shino. Gritting his teeth, he braced himself for the impending landing.

A second later, he found himself struck in the head by what appeared to be a pole of lightning that brushed against the side of his head and caused him to backflip until he landed on his face.

"Hahahahaha, oh that was rich." Aoi said, stepping out of the shadows yet again. "Really, launching yourself into enemy territory, with no idea of their capabilities, and you expect to not get shot down?"

"…your aim sucks." Naruto muttered, rolling over and bounced up to his feet. His forehead had a small cut from the glancing blow, but his confident grin wasn't affected in the least. "And honestly, I've been hit harder by cats then you."

Tora could be a mean little kitty when it wanted to be.

Aoi glared at Naruto, not taking too kindly to being insulted in such a manner. Shrugging, he slipped back into the darkness again as he stepped forward to claim his kill. "It doesn't matter. No matter how many of you there are, you will all die unless you run."

"Sorry, but I can't do that." Naruto said, glancing around for Aoi as he spoke. "I promised I'd never run away, and I'm going to stick to it."

Aoi rolled his eyes at the foolish words, moving to his side. Igniting the Raijin no Ken, he made a stab at Naruto, only for the blond to widen his eyes and step back. Blinking, he took another swing only for it to be seen. Frowning, he let the chakra to the sword fade as he pulled out a kunai. Apparently he required to get a bit closer for this. He couldn't let the boy get the drop on him after all.

Unfortunately, Naruto had an advantage Aoi didn't know of; with the promise coursing through him, he could see where Aoi was.

Taking advantage of Aoi's arrogance and methodical movements, Naruto rushed him. Catching him completely flatfooted, Naruto slammed his fist into Aoi's gut, getting a grunt of annoyance from the traitorous Jonin before Naruto stepped back and let loose his foot into Aoi's jaw to knock him away. Stumbling back, Aoi growled at Naruto.

"I'll kill you for that you little - !"

"Kagemane no Jutsu…success."

Aoi froze, eyes slowly moving down to the floor. There, connecting to his shadow, was a black trail that led to Shikamaru's; the telltale sign of a Nara's best known technique. Glancing at Shikamaru, he snorted in contempt. "Really? Do you think you can stop me with this?"

"No, but I can slow you down." Shikamaru replied. As he was about to tell Shino it was his turn, Aoi let a pulse of dark chakra loose, knocking all of them away from him while also breaking Shikamaru's shadow from his own.

"Foolish _boy_. I have the armor of a god of a shinobi, born before the pathetic Sandaime and his 'rule' as Hokage. I have more power in me now then you could ever hope to have!"

Naruto grit his teeth as he stood, glaring Aoi down. How dare he insult the Sandaime; the grandfatherly Hokage deserved ever praise he'd received, and Naruto would hear none of Aoi's taunting. Before he moved though, the ground besides him suddenly gave way, revealing a deep pit. Blinking, he glanced around and realized that the shockwave of Aoi's attack had knocked the three of them into the field again. While none of them were immediately harmed, it was clear that they needed to be aware, least the set off any more traps like the two Naruto already had.

If it weren't a life threatening situation, Naruto would question how it was that _he_ was the only one to trigger any traps thus far.

"Maybe you do…" Shikamaru said, sitting where he was with a bored look on his face. "…that doesn't really help when getting through these traps now, does it? I mean, without a map finding where to go would be almost impossible."

"True, but unlike you hopeless Konoha Chunin, I _do_ have a map."

While Aoi chortled victoriously, Shikamaru yawned and pulled out a piece of paper that he began looking over. Upon seeing this, Aoi's laughter died down rapidly, his hands and eyes darting over his person to find the aforementioned map. "Did you know that the Kagekubi Shibari no Jutsu (Shadow-Neck Binding Technique) can make a hand of sorts? It's really interesting when you think about a hand made of shadows."

"That's…impossible!" Aoi snarled, stepping towards Shikamaru before pausing and glaring at the path between them. Glancing up, he smirked as he pulled out the Raijin no Ken again. "Very well then, I suppose I have no choice then, do I? Even if you know how to escape, it won't matter if you're already dead after all."

Naruto's eyes widened, remembering how the Raijin no Ken had extended to hit him out of the air. "No! I won't let you! I will win, dattebayo!"

As Aoi pointed at Shikamaru, a second shockwave of chakra resounded across the field. Turning to the epicenter, Aoi got a good taste of Naruto's knee as the blonde leapt into him. Not letting up, Naruto quickly ducked low and swept Aoi of his feet, grounding the Ame jonin with a snarl from both him and the jonin as Aoi tried to get up.

"You insignificant brat I – "

Naruto was hearing none of it though. Not wanting this to turn into a bloodbath, he placed his hand on Aoi's face, chakra lancing quickly into his attack. "Dengeki (Electric Shock)."

To Naruto's horror, what usually happened with this attack, was not the end result. Having never used it in his fully unlocked mode, he had no way of gauging how much chakra was necessary to simply knock him out. As such, when the lightning raced into Aoi, it was akin to having a bolt of lightning strike through his head. Reeling back in surprise, Naruto blinked as Aoi stared up at him, motionless. Then, lifelessly, he crumpled in a heap.

Shikamaru winced, having not expected to see Naruto do something so…violent. It was out of character, which meant that it was more than likely an accident. Sighing softly, he cleared his throat to get Naruto's attention back on them. Seeing Naruto's pure blue eyes fade, he raised an eyebrow curiously. Having never seen Naruto's do this before, it was…intriguing, but unimportant at the moment.

"Hey Naruto, would you mind grabbing the map from behind Aoi? We'd kinda like to get out of here in one piece."

Naruto blinked, nodding very slowly. As he picked up the map, he paused, staring at his hands with a shiver. Steeling himself, he turned back to Shikamaru and Shino to help them out for now. He'd deal with his own problems later.

**-xxxxx-**

Sasuke and Anko were having a far more…interesting battle.

"Hold still so I can gut you!"

"Whee! Catch me if you can~!" Anko shouted with a giggle, dancing around Mizuki as he flailed wildly to strike them.

"If you can't hit us, then you don't deserve to gut us Mizuki-_sensei_." Sasuke added, almost to the point of sticking his hands in his pockets as he hopped over Mizuki's swing, Sharingan and Cursed Seal making this all too easy for him.

Mizuki snarled. In truth, they both could see that if he were given the chance, it was rather likely that he _could_ do exactly what he intended to do. With his bulky frame and muscular physique, it was not out of the range of possibilities for him to dig into them, if not for one problem.

Mizuki was _slow_.

Not just in the mental faculties, as he continued with tactics even the old Naruto would likely laugh at a bit, but in his physical speed as well. To escape from the snake, he'd been forced to channel his strength quite literally into his strength to rip his way out and then chuck it back to them. However, a side effect was now he was too bulky to catch them, and even his attacks were slow enough for the two of them to easily slide around each strike.

Sasuke watched with keen eyes with each strike, watching for a moment to counterstrike. While dancing around him was good, fun even, it wasn't hurting Mizuki for them to dodge him. They needed to strike back and hurt him. Otherwise Mizuki might get wise to the amount of chakra that was almost seeping off of him and decide to decimate them and the forest with an actual jutsu instead of his claws. Not that he was going to think of that; the two of them were to annoying for him to properly concentrate on doing something as complex as preparing a jutsu.

Them on the other hand, was another story altogether.

Glancing at Anko, he reached into his pouch and pulled out a couple of explosive pouches. Seeing her grin, she nodded. With a smirk, he made a crude, but workable signal for 'I'll go high, you go low' to which she rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him Why was she – no, wait, Mizuki was looking at her. Good, he wouldn't catch on just yet.

With a whoop of excitement, Anko rushed at Mizuki. Sliding under him, her hands quickly darted to his legs, seemingly using them to turn sharply in a different direction. None the wiser to Anko's misdirection, Mizuki began following after her just as Sasuke raced around him, bouncing off of his vest as he slipped several packets inside his pockets, as well as a few onto his back.

'_This is too easy.'_ Sasuke thought, rolling away from Mizuki. For a teacher, and a former Konoha chunin…he really sucked in almost every skill that could save his skin at the moment. How he'd even made it to chunin rank escaped him.

"I will crush your legs and torture you till you scream!" Mizuki shouted, right before Anko use his head as a springboard for the umpteenth time as his claws barely missed her foot.

Anko grinned, twirling in her leap as she landed on a branch above him. "Yeah, no. I don't think so."

At this bold statement, Mizuki paused. Snorting loudly, he growled up at her. "Oh really? And just why might that be?"

"Because death has been waiting for you." Sasuke replied, snapping his fingers as both of their sets of explosives went off all over his body. It was more than a little satisfying to hear the roaring scream of Mizuki as he was engulfed in the explosion. "…well that was fun."

As he said this, a clawed hand whipped out and backhanded Sasuke into a tree. Sasuke gasped out, wincing as he slowly rubbed his chest. It felt like he'd been struck by an overweight hammer, and he quickly found his mind catching up with the pain receptors of his body as he hissed in pain.

"There, now _that_ is a sound I've been working for." Mizuki muttered, lumbering over to Sasuke. A victorious smirk crossed his face, as he looked down at the young chunin and pressed his clawed foot onto his chest. "Now…let's hear that scream."

"Senei Jashu (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Rather than be caught off guard by this, Mizuki snarled as he grabbed the oncoming snake and yanked hard. Anko yelped in surprised, caught flatfooted before she too was backhanded away. Sasuke winced at the noise, his Sharingan eyes glaring heatedly up at Mizuki.

"Wait your turn, snake." Mizuki said with a low growl. Glancing down, he pressed harder against Sasuke's chest, getting him to bite down to keep from screaming in pain. "Don't worry, I'll get my snakeskin wallet out of her later. First things first; a lesson for old time sake, in manner towards your betters!"

Raising his foot, he brought it crashing down on Sasuke's chest, causing him to gasp out. Again, and again Mizuki did this, never going to get his screams of pain since he didn't even allow for Sasuke to catch his breath. Eventually though, he grew bored of this, and decided he hadn't tried his claws yet. Pressing them into his skin, he slowly dragged them down Sasuke's chest, leaving slow cuts going down his chest in the kanji for 'fire'. It meant nothing to him to do so at this point; it was merely a way to pass the time before he would outright kill the both of them.

Despite the weight still on him, Sasuke not had enough of a reprieve to catch his breath to hiss again, holding back from letting Mizuki have any form of satisfaction from this. Glancing to Anko, he could see her struggling to get up. If only he were stronger, if only he could stop Mizuki, if only –

Another dig into his chest cut off his thoughts, his hands gripping into the dirt in pain as Mizuki continued his barbaric work. In between another cut, Sasuke's head rolled back towards Anko. Apparently the first blow Mizuki had hit him with was more of a glancing blow, seeing how Anko had fallen back down in her struggle. As he stared at her, he remembered the strange way his chakra had lingered earlier. The way her seal had seemed to pulsate in reaction to his charka's mere presence. And in that second, that brief reprieve, his thoughts changed just slightly enough to come to a strange thought.

'_If only she had the strength.'_

Almost immediately, Anko stood with a dark scowl on her face. Red marks spread further across her body, as her eyes snapped up to glare at Mizuki. Hissing, Sasuke's eyes widened as part of the markings on the left side of her body suddenly began pressing together. In a distorted, twisted similarity to the Oto shinobi the two of them had fought in the invasion, the left side of her body alone had been transformed into something…else. Something large, and threatening to all before it.

And yet, he found he was strangely comforted by the sight of it.

Mizuki on the other hand, never got to see this dark beauty in its fullness. Instead, he experienced it in the form of Anko slamming it into him at high speed. Pinned between Anko and a tree, Mizuki could do nothing to defend himself as Anko repeated knocked all air and conscious thought from his mind. Remarkably, the potion he'd drank kept his body resilient enough to survive the onslaught, which at the moment was more of a bane then a boon. Blinded by sudden anger, and empowered beyond Mizuki's own enhancements, she kept him pinned with the continued assault.

Meanwhile, it took Sasuke much longer to come to a sense of reality around him. Pain and getting a moment's reprieve were not entirely helpful in this situation, but it gave him enough focus to force himself to move. Moving to his feet, he took a short breath, careful to not stretch the clawed in marks on his chest any more than they were. They would leave one hell of a scar, if nothing else.

Slowly looking at the berserker Anko, he placed a hand on his shoulder and winced. He could sense it now, he could see it and the terror of what he was about to test make his legs shake slightly. Either that or it was the slow loss of blood; either way, he was likely not going to remain conscious to long after.

"Anko…stop."

The response was immediate. Mid motion and everything, she completely froze. This gave Mizuki a second to breath, and then topple over onto his face. Taking another slow breath, Sasuke fortified himself enough to place a hand on Anko's shoulder and concentrate.

"Let it go…now."

Slower this time, but still more then obvious to his keen eyes, the cursed markings slowly faded away and left the tired, almost beaten form of Anko in their place. She blinked, slowly looking at Sasuke. "What…happened? What was – Sasuke!"

Sasuke didn't have time to answer, his limits passed, and the chakra from the cursed seal spent. As it rapidly withdrew itself from him, he collapsed into her grip, blissful unconsciousness taking him finally.

Anko stared down at him, blinking in confusion as she looked around slowly. At their feet, Mizuki's body shook with wisps of chakra coming from every pore of his body. Likely a side effect from Orochimaru's experiment; the cost for that much immediate power finally revealed. Had she not already known the lengths that Orochimaru could, and had, gone to she might've felt worse for the withering husk that was once the powerful Mizuki. In the end, she knew whose fault it was, and as such justice had been served in full.

Glancing back down at Sasuke, she blinked as her mind began to once more grow clear. Hissing at the sight of his wounds, she bit her lip as she fumbled for something to bandage him with. Although it was mere surface wounds, with the journey back they could still get infected or continue to bleed out. Worse still, she swore she saw some white intermingled in the upper portion of his chest.

"Damn it all, how…" She gripped her head for a second, shaking it as she went back to work. "…something is…"

All she wanted to do was say 'something is wrong with me', but considering who she was and all that she'd ever gone through, that wouldn't even be brushing against the tip of that colossus of an iceburg. Worse still, was that even with this new depth, she only knew two things. The first was that she was drowning in the unknown of everything that was happening to her. And the second, was that Sasuke was the only thing giving her enough solace – no, enough peace – which allowed her some focus. Which is part of what drove her to save him, to keep him alive despite the very real threats around them; because if he died, she knew it would be like a true final 'nail in the coffin' for her.

Never let it be said that Anko was one to run towards death.

**-Amegakure no Sato (Village Hidden in the Rain): Hidden Caverns-**

Pein stared blankly at the wall before him. Drumming his fingers, he silently allowed himself a moment to relax as he leaned into his chair. He'd done what no one else could have anticipated; truly he was even more of a god now then even before this moment.

"You look rather pleased. **Is your new wall ornament something noteworthy to you?"**

Pein didn't say a word to Zetsu as he rose up behind him, instead standing to refocus on said 'ornament'. "Indeed. Once the final stages are done, this will allow us to boost our production exponentially. All he needs to do…is survive."

"**And if not, we can always eat him.** But then, we have other matters to report. Orochimaru has moved again, and we've lost him."

Pein frowned at this declaration. As their ally-turned-foe, Orochimaru knew enough of their old plans to be a nuisance to their new plans. Without a way to keep from drawing his attention, they were surprisingly forced to act and wait for him to strike first. As a snake, his prowess in such matters made for results that Pein felt were unappealing to their plans long term progression.

"If that is so, then leave him be. I have been working out a plan that should provide enough support for our endeavors that the loses will be minimalized." Pein replied after a moment's thought. In truth, he wasn't certain of whether this particular venture could solve their problem, but it would give him a glimpse into the resolve and nature of one of their own.

He needed to know he could trust her, after all.

"Very well. **Let us know if you need us to…clean up after you're done."** Zetsu replied, sinking back into the ground once more.

Closing his eyes, Pein placed a hand over his ring. With a small burst of chakra, he waited patiently for a return pulse to initiate the link between them. It took several moments, but the pulse was eventually received, and the link established. Opening his eyes, he stared at the visage of their newest 'probationary' member.

"Hello Tsunade-san."

Tsunade, for all her preparation and fortitude, didn't necessarily hide her widening eyes from the sight before her. "I…I'm afraid you have me at some disadvantage here. I was expecting Itachi, to inform me of – "

"To inform you of my will towards you. However, at this time, I require a more direct approach." Pein replied. In truth, having Itachi give her all his orders previous was mainly due to the fact that he needed someone who could read people well, and report back with sufficient assuredness of what he saw in the other person. Now though, it was time he himself looked into her eyes to see what lay within her. "Are you ready, Tsunade?"

Tsunade stared at him, unsure of why his face seemed familiar in a distant way. The moment passed, and she nodded slowly. "What is it you wish to ask of me…Leader-san?"

"I require your opinion on one Orochimaru, and his latest…exploits."

Tsunade frowned at the name, brow furrowed as she shook her head. "I have only heard tell from what other shinobi in my village have seen. However, what I know is…troubling to say the least."

"Go on."

Tsunade almost shrugged at his prodding, but quickly realized it was not a question; it was a command. She herself being in the highest position of power in Konoha, it was troubling to hear someone speak as though he had such authority over her. With all Itachi had told her though, it was likely that he had more than just idle words to back him up. As such, she complied.

"Several Anbu watched his battle with the Sandaime Hokage. Before their vision was obscured, they saw that Orochimaru was on par with the Sandaime, in all but one way; his physical condition. Although I don't know what they meant, or how he might've done it, they say that for a moment, Orochimaru was…a woman. That he spoke of a technique that the Sandaime had guessed he'd been in the process of creating, and that it allowed him to hop from his own body into the body of another."

That was news to Pein. He had not known that Orochimaru had completed his shadowed 'body possession technique'. Last he'd known, it was still in the process of being completed, what with his absolute failure to take the body of Uchiha Itachi years earlier. It was a bit troubling to know that their enemy would likely stay around so long as he had a fresh source of bodies to keep him occupied with, although in all honesty he wasn't that worried seeing how Orochimaru likely had his eyes only on the strongest, and those with bloodlines.

Speaking of which. "While your information this good, it not nearly enough to take on the elusive snake at the moment. I require your assistance in getting as much information as you possibly can, so that we can at long last crush the head of this serpent beneath our heel, and continue on towards a brighter future. If he remains, my plan, and the future of the shinobi world, could be jeopardized. Do I have your support in this, Tsunade-san?"

Tsunade blinked at his words, unsure what all to make of them. While Itachi had seemed to glamorize what their leader had said, it was clear that Pein himself had a gift for knowing which words to say to get her to pay attention. From getting her to work on building medicinal practice in Konoha, to hunting down an enemy she knew to be dangerous, his words were quite clear in her eyes; take the world, and rule it with the least bloodshed possible. And for that, she felt far more confident in what she said next.

"As you wish, Leader-sama."

* * *

AN: To be honest, a lot of this was already written out, and despite feeling a bit rushed in some places, it makes sense. Mainly for two reasons; Orochimaru lied (duh), and Aoi pissed Naruto off. Berating a Kage, and then threatening his friends? I'm surprised I _let_ Aoi live as long as he did. The other two bits though felt far better, and are more crucial to developing characters. *gasp* I know right? However, all the hints aside, I have more writings to write! ONWARD!

Next time on Word of Honor; _The Weight of Power._ As Mizuki has shown in the current chapter, no power comes without a price.


	43. The Weight of Power

...out of curiosity, how many people would be mad or otherwise if I said that I _do_ own Naruto? Anyone? Well, to avoid pleasing the lawyers waiting for me to get sued, I still don't own Naruto. I still think my story is awesome, so there.

* * *

_Chapter 43: The Weight of Power_

Shino and Shikamaru sat in silence, glancing every so often at the nervous form of Naruto who was currently keeping himself at a distance from the two. After working out the correct path to keep the two of them from getting hurt, they'd 'apprehended' Aoi and begun taking him back to Konoha. They didn't know the extent of what their orders were to do with the bodies, but with a shinobi that had spent plenty of time in a foreign village it was possible that they might learn something.

The bodies of Sakon/Ukon and Jirobo were surprisingly absent after a quick go around to search for them.

Rolling the Raijin no Ken in his hands, Shino glanced at Shikamaru with a flat stare. They both knew what the other was curious about, but neither seemed sure how to approach him to ask. Shikamaru, being the more 'socially aware' of the two, was the one Shino expected to make the first move to speak to Naruto. He was quickly realizing that Shikamaru's ability to ignore his stares to be quite resilient, and in the end it was he who finally spoke.

"Naruto-san."

Naruto flinched at the sound of Shino's voice, the lack of previous sound make it seem far louder than the flat tone he was using. Quickly turning around, he blinked as he glanced at Shino. "What's up Shino?"

"Are you alright?" Shino asked, his eyes never leaving Naruto's. If anyone were skilled in reading an Aburame were there, they would have noticed the very subtle hints of Shino being concerned. While Naruto is not one of those people, he could guess close enough to be close to seeing that.

"I'm…" Naruto didn't finish his sentence, glancing away instead as the image replayed in his mind. Aoi, trapped in his hand as lightning arced through his head from _his_ jutsu. It was nothing like the way he'd taken Jirobo down; at the very least, his clone blowing up on him didn't give him time to actually witness his death. Naruto thought knew his own strength; he knew how much chakra was needed to perform the 'capture' variant of Dengeki, he'd performed it successfully against Neji in the Chunin Exams, and he'd practiced with various promises to be sure he had it down.

So why had it killed Aoi when he'd used his fully unlocked power?

"You know Naruto you've had a lot more on your mind since we last saw you in the Academy." Shikamaru suddenly said, pulling Naruto from his reprieve. His eyes still staring at the clouds, Shikamaru sighed. "If you keep it all in, you'll wind up more troublesome than normal."

The laid back, almost reserved way Shikamaru said it was comforting to Naruto. Shikamaru was still the lazy, laid back and semi-sarcastic sounding shinobi he remembered him being. It allowed him a second to get himself together before finally speaking.

"…I'm not alright. This mission shouldn't have ended like that. I could've…I could've stopped him." Naruto looked at his hand again, slowly clenching it into a fist as he placed it against his forehead with a groan of frustration. "I didn't mean to do that."

"It's not something that we as shinobi can avoid doing either Naruto-san." Shino said softly, moving to stand next to Naruto. "Had you not stopped him the way you did, who knows what he could have done?"

"That's just it!" Naruto shouted, hands gripping the sides of his head angrily. "I _do_ know it, I could feel it. When he pointed his sword thingy at you, it wasn't a threat. It was a promise. He…he wasn't going to let us leave. He was going to kill us and then walk away to do...something. He was going to talk to someone."

Shino and Shikamaru shared a quick look, Shikamaru raising and eyebrow while Shino faintly shrugged. Glancing back to Naruto, Shino decided to press on. "And how do you know that Naruto-san?"

"I don't know." Naruto whispered. Despite what he said, there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind telling him otherwise. He _did_ know, he just hadn't put all the pieces together yet consciously.

"…perhaps it has something to do with the way your chakra increased before you struck him?"

Naruto sighed, scratching his head as he leaned back, a somewhat defeated look on his face as he glanced up at Shino. "Maybe, but I don't think so. I mean, my chakra didn't really increase so much as…" Naruto paused, his mind clicking about something. "Huh, actually that might be it."

Realizing that he now had both of their attention, Naruto attempted to explain. "Well you see, when I activated my…technique, it kind of forced open one of my inner gates. Or was it two? I can't really tell. Anyways, I've used it before, but one time I was able to see stuff that I didn't know anything about otherwise and…"

Naruto stopped, glancing between the two. Even though both of their faces were clearly blank, Shikamaru's he could tell had a hint of confusion. He had completely lost him already. Shino might've been in a similar state, but that high collar shirt and those glasses made it impossible for him to tell.

Biting his lip, he leaned back and channeled a faint amount of chakra into his forehead to make his connection to Han'ishiki. He needed a second opinion on his insane idea.

**:: It is completely insane, and you should totally do it. ::**

Well, that answered that question.

**:: Kushina totally disagrees, and Kamina is shaking his head, but Hinata agrees with me and that's points in Shino's direction. So…yeah, in the end, it's your call. Trust them, or don't. ::**

Naruto slowly nodded, vaguely remembering that Shino was part of Hinata's team. If anyone knew anything about Shino, she would. Or at least, anyone who would know _more_ about Shino than other people, seeing how secretive and how much of a loner he could be at times. It was like how he knew things about Sasuke that no one else paid much attention…

Naruto glanced at Shikamaru, another thought coming to him. Shikamaru was _Ino's_ teammate. If he told him, it could get back to her. And if it got back to her she'd find a way to get him so wrapped around her finger that he'd never be able to get out of her grip. It was bad enough with the _one_ promise she'd bound him to; imagine her trying to get him to make _more_ promises.

Somewhere in Konoha, Yamanaka Ino sneezed faintly.

Biting his lip again, he closed his eyes. Memories of Shikamaru from the Academy, and memories of both his and Shino's exploits in the Suna-Oto Invasion played through his head as he came to a decision.

"Can you two keep a secret?"

**-xxxxx-**

Orochimaru slowly walked down the halls of his illustrious home. Carved into mountains, Otogakure's many hideouts proved to house a plethora of secrets of his own creation, and many of his prizes he'd acquired over the years. Bloodlines, secret jutsu, and horrible experiments galore, he had it all. At the moment though, old research had proven to have an unexpected turn for what he thought he knew. It had altered some of his plans to ensure that he had maximum growth and potential for this project.

Walking up to a 'balcony', he looked down at the combatants in the 'arena'. The smaller, clearly younger individual was on the offensive, knowing only too well by this point that the moment he defended he'd lost. His opponent was calm; already knowing the young boy could not harm him in any way, even as the boy's hands ran through familiar seals.

"Katon! Goukakyuu no jutsu!"

The fireball engulfed the young boy's foe, but was quickly shrugged off as the larger man tore through it and rushed him. Now on the defensive, dark lines began spreading from his right shoulder as he called on his cursed seal in an attempt to counter the older boy's assault.

Watching all of this, Orochimaru chuckled softly. "Kukuku, he's gotten quick at drawing on my power. Good, very good."

"Oh? Is he challenging Kimimaro again?"

Orochimaru gave a faint nod, not even bothering to acknowledge the way Kabuto had crept up behind him. "Konohamaru has sensei's fiery spirit in him, but with how often he fights Kimimaro, he will find his will bent to me soon enough."

Kabuto frowned, walking up beside Orochimaru as he observed the beating Kimimaro gave to Konohamaru. It was a routine thing, and Kimimaro never held back which generally meant the boy would end up in his care again to patch up his wounds. "I'm surprised you've given him so much freedom Orochimaru-sama. After his willingness to attack you, and the way he questions you so often…I'd almost venture a guess that you've gotten a soft spot for him and his potential."

"Kukuku, how observant of you Kabuto." Orochimaru said with a smirk. "Of course, while he did attack me, how many here have not attempted such a thing before? Those are few and far between. However, in his case, I am continually witnessing the joys of my cursed seal's alteration in process. Soon, he will kneel before me."

Kabuto nodded slowly, his eyes glinting with mischief and lips curled into a dark smile. "Ah, so you've added _that_ alteration to his seal then? In that case, why not make him go all the way? His second level should be more than sufficient to manipulate."

Orochimaru frowned, scoffing at him. "Were it so easy all of my men would be bound by absolute loyalty already. As it stands, the alteration only appears to work on the first level, while the seal is malleable, as is the minds of those it's used upon. Once they're in the second level, all the changes are locked out, and remain as they are to grow under my…kind, tutelage."

This time, it was Orochimaru's lips that curled up into a smirk. With a dark chuckle, he turned from the stand, knowing that Kimimaro had only turned the tables on Konohamaru once he'd sensed his presence. Kimimaro was far from 'kind', but he'd allowed Konohamaru some leeway at times to allow him to learn from him. Despite this, having Kimimaro as Konohamaru's 'bodyguard' was now going to bear fruit to another far more ambitious ploy he had planned for the future.

In the meantime though, "How are little Zaku and Dosu?"

Kabuto tilted his glasses slightly, thinking over the two before speaking. "Both of them are doing well at the moment. Zaku's improvement seems to have grown in strides after we added some of Sasori's old nuts and bolts to replace his arm. He's grown quite versatile…as well as quite hostile to anything that opposes you."

"And Dosu?"

"Dosu has been working with his jutsu as normal. However, it appears he's been researching into other ways to enhance his current prowess. He's asked for a team to go to the land of Yuki no Kuni (The Land of Snow) in order to study some rumors he's heard about the shinobi there. Something about chakra armor or the like."

Already knowing quite a bit about said armor, Orochimaru thought it over for a bit. Deciding that, since they _were_ loyal to him, they deserved a bit of freedom to explore and try to improve what he'd given them. "He has my permission to go. Have…Guren and Zaku go with him. Zaku could use a field test with our new enhancements, and if anything goes out of hand, Guren knows what to do."

"Of course Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto grinned, bowing to his master as he made his way to where they were to give them their assignment.

**-xxxxx-**

"…so let me get this straight. You have a bloodline?"

"Yep."

"And when you make promises, you are bound to them. In doing so, you get a boost in chakra and capabilities that aids you in carrying out said promises, correct Naruto-san?"

"Yep."

"But you're not allowed to break them because you'll lose the ability to use chakra?"

"Right again Shika."

"And at one point you were able to know of events in the future similar to precognition that allowed you to find and save Hinata by finding Tsunade and bringing her back, despite having no prior knowledge of her or her whereabouts."

"You got it Shino."

"…this is all way to troublesome."

Naruto glanced between the two, both intensely nervous, and feeling slight relief at telling them about what he knew. Somehow, while talking to Han'ishiki, Kushina (calling her kaa-san didn't feel right yet), Kamina (calling him oji-san was WAY too early for that), and Hinata (the one in his mind) had helped him not go insane from keeping it a secret, it felt good to tell them. It was like a burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

For Shikamaru and Shino, what he said seemed way out of left field, and yet they couldn't deny that in a way it made sense. The idea of being bound by promises didn't sound like something one simply learned for convenience, but rather something that was passed down. While it could have more easily been a clan jutsu that he'd learned, having a clan jutsu like what he'd shown would require an actual family member to teach him.

Naruto had enough sense not to mention the family members that were currently walking around in his head; no need for them to think he was crazy after all this he'd dropped on them.

Shino was the first to speak after that summarization. "Naruto-san, why have you kept this a secret? Knowing the old you, my first logical assumption would be to believe that you would race through Konoha trying to tell everyone that you had something no one else did. While I can see that your bloodline clearly has its downsides, the fact you have a bloodline, but have hidden it seems…unlike you."

Naruto glanced at Shikamaru, leaning back with a groan of annoyance. "I would have, but I…was tricked into making a promise that has been really troublesome, and kinda made me realize that I don't want everyone knowing about it. I mean, the boost is awesome for fights, like against Neji and Gaara, but…I don't want to be tied to people who are just using me."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at this, the maturity of his statement and glance catching his attention. "That…makes sense. And with the dumb decisions you've made before, it's not impossible to think that someone might take advantage of it."

Had it not been true, Naruto might've been a bit indignant about what Shikamaru just said. Didn't make it hurt any less. "Yeah well, I learned my lesson. Mostly. I still don't know what I'm going to do about it, but right now my current strategy seems to be –"

"It's Ino-san isn't it?"

Naruto and Shikamaru glanced at Shino, Naruto in shock and Shikamaru with a sigh of disappointment as he put the final pieces together. "Um…yeah, how'd you guess?"

"The way you avoided her at the Chunin Exams, and the way she seemed insistent on speaking with you. It was rather clear that something had happened between the two of you, and what you said has merely given further validation to my thoughts." Shino said, remembering how Naruto had reacted upon his departure for his own round after he'd moved between the two of them to help give him some room to breathe. Clearly he'd been helping far more than even he realized at the time.

"Damn it Ino, what did you get yourself into?" Shikamaru muttered, rubbing his forehead as his mind went over all the changes she'd gone through. It hadn't seemed all that big, what with a few changes in her dressing style and a more focused attitude on her shinobi training. Looking back at how many times she'd left after their training and sought out Naruto though, the pieces were falling into place. "What a troublesome woman."

"You don't even know the half of it Shikamaru." Naruto grumbled, remembering all the things that Ino had done in an attempt to prove to Sasuke that she was worth his time. Mainly since his 'grooming' had him going through motions of things that – while he grew to like some – felt demeaning and in many cases, were. Pointing out his flaws and then forcing him to change them without even once realizing how much Naruto didn't care or desire to be there had been hard. Worse still was when she'd subtly used his promise to get him to _pay attention_ during said activities. He'd changed a lot from them, but it made him remember her treatment quite clearly. "I mean, I know I made a promise to her, but keeping it sometimes…sometimes I just wish she'd let it go, you know?"

"I don't envy you Naruto. Being all but chained to her every whim is something I wouldn't wish on anyone." Shikamaru said, his hands pressed together to hold his chin as he thought further. "If she found out about just how much sway she has on you though, you really would be in trouble."

Naruto paled at that thought. While a part of him knew that it was possible at some point for that to happen, the idea of her having that much control over him was terrifying. "Please don't tell."

Shikamaru waved his hand at Naruto dismissively. "Don't worry, I won't tell her. It'd be too troublesome."

Shino nodded, not even needing Naruto to ask. He had few people who he respected in terms of skill and personal friendship. Naruto, and the way he'd taken a liking to _his_ abilities and skills while demonstrating skill he'd not expected, had proven to fall into both of those categories. He'd prefer to keep him in the second, if only because he liked the idea of someone who respected his skills as well.

"Thanks." Naruto said with a sigh. There was a moment of silence between the three of them, each looking to the other before Shino and Shikamaru focused back on Naruto. With all the attention back on him, he bit his lip and shuffled nervously. "…what?"

"Well, what now?" Seeing a confused look, Shikamaru continued. "I mean, it's your bloodline, so…what now? You told us for a reason, right?" Watching Naruto shuffle nervously, Shikamaru groaned softly. "I assume too much."

"While it is a remarkable show of trust in us, I do have to agree with Shikamaru-san's logic. Telling us without any particular reason behind it seems to make no sense in my mind." Shino said, his foot gently tapping the ground as he spoke. While most Aburame chose to avoid having little things they did, Shino let himself have this small thing to signify that he was in thought. "…perhaps, we both have simply thought about this too deeply? Naruto-san, have you had an opportunity to speak about this with anyone else?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, not really. I, well I did talk a little about it with one person, but I haven't gotten to say more." Naruto blinked, smacking his head as he remembered. "Oh crap! I totally forgot I promised to see her again! Gah!"

Shikamaru gave Naruto a flat 'are you kidding me' look. After all he'd told them, he wasn't sure how Naruto _hadn't_ told everyone in the village about his bloodline. "Calm down Naruto. Jeez, it's not like you said a specific time, did you?"

"Well…no." Naruto muttered, a small bit of relief washing over him. "But I still don't want to break my promise to her. I mean…I don't want to break any of them but…"

"We understand Naruto-san. Your bloodline has changed your casual promises into a heavy burden." Shino said, with Shikamaru grunting an affirmative. "If it would help, perhaps there may be something we can do to help?"

Naruto chuckled softly, running a hand through his hair. "To be honest, getting this off my chest to someone who really understands just how much this bugs me helps out more then you know. So…thanks you guys."

"Any time." Shikamaru sighed, leaning back. "That whole 'boost' thing really does sound like it'd come in handy. Granted, the drawbacks suck, but I can see how it'd be a good bloodline."

"Indeed. It's a shame that you cannot bind others to their promises as well. That could prove to be rather beneficial to yourself and others in the future." Shino said with a nod. After a moment, he glanced at Naruto with a hidden look that masked his look of curiosity. "…can you bind people to their promises Naruto-san?"

There was a small light bulb that flickered on in Naruto's head at this, a memory coming to mind. "I…don't know." Rubbing his hands together, his eyes took on a faraway look as he thought back. "I remember something though…when I was fighting Gaara. After I'd stumbled on the word that opens my full potential, I had him pinned down. While I was holding him, I…I had a thought."

Shikamaru perked up at this. Naruto having a thought (strange a concept to him as it was) seemed to be providing more insight into what all Naruto could do. "What did you think Naruto?"

"…I thought, I need to make him promise me." Naruto said after a moment. Shaking his head, he glanced between them. "It sounds stupid, but that's what I thought. And when he did, the thought kinda just left…"

"Getting hit with an iron fan would do that to you."

Naruto blinked, scratching his cheek with a pained chuckled. "Oh, so that's what happened. That…explains a lot."

Shino nodded, his head looking upwards as he too remembered what he'd seen. "Perhaps that idea was more powerful then you realized Naruto-san. After you were taken down, I apprehended the kunochi that assaulted you, and had to determine what to do with them. Having three hostages, while certainly a boon afterwards, was not the logical choice. However, Gaara said he'd keep his siblings in line, saying that his 'mother' had promised not to hurt you or I. While normally I'd disregard what he said, the other two were far more shocked, which implied that it wasn't normal behavior for him. As it turned out, the…gamble I was forced to play ended up for the best with no casualties in our battles."

Naruto let out a small sigh, smiling up at him as he heard that. "So, they were alright in the end? That's good. That's really good to hear."

"That doesn't explain something though." Shikamaru said, catching the other part of what Shino had said. "What happened to Gaara? From what I remember, he was a blood hungry psychopath with a willingness to kill anyone in his way. And then suddenly…what, he just decided you were special? It sounds more like something else was involved…something that changed whatever personality that made him so violent."

"I made him promise not to hurt anyone from Konoha or its allies." Naruto said, his eyes suddenly gleaming as he too began piecing it together. "Which means he was keeping his promise to me by not hurting me or Shino after I was knocked out!" Punching his fist into the air, he cackled softly. "Aw man, that makes my fight so~ much more rewarding!"

"Could you do it again?"

Naruto blinked, glancing at Shino curiously. "Huh?"

"Could you do it again? Replicate what you did to Gaara to someone else? To get them to make a promise that they were bound to keep?"

"Uh…" Naruto blinked, quickly turning inwards. _'Han'ishiki? Kushina? Kamina?'_

"_Don't look at me I'm still learning things about the male's side of the bloodline."_ Kushina said, meaning he was getting no help from her in this matter.

"_I'd love to say that you can't or you can…but I never thought of doing something like that before."_ Kamina replied, almost getting Naruto to facepalm at that._ "It definitely bears further investigation. Hm…let's try it out!"_

**:: I'm with Kamina. I don't know, but I can remember what we did when we were facing Gaara, so…you want to try it out? And don't give me the 'they're my friends' argument. We don't have to make it a big promise, just…have them promise to keep your secret or something. ::**

With little help from anyone except maybe Han'ishiki, Naruto made a motion to Shino. "Can I see your hand? And…don't say anything, okay?"

Shino raised an eyebrow ever so slightly at this, but allowed Naruto to take his hand. If Naruto was going to try anything, he knew Shikamaru was watching and would step in. The two of them hadn't interacted nearly enough to have planned anything, and if there was something he and many Aburame prided themselves on, it was reading people and their interactions with one another. It didn't help _their _social interactions, but they knew how to take what they could from others interactions, and that was enough.

Naruto, concentrating some chakra into his hand, gripped Shino's hand and stared into his eyes. With surprising authority, he spoke slowly to ensure that he worded what he wanted right. "Promise me that you will keep my bloodline a secret…from anyone who I haven't told about it."

Were he able to see through Shino's jacket, Naruto would have seen a small twitch of Shino's lips turning up into a small smile. In his own way, Naruto had just proven that he had his moments of ingenious clarity. To his surprise, he found himself speaking despite Naruto's clear instructions not to beforehand. "I promise that I will keep your bloodline a secret from all those who don't already know about it."

Naruto blinked, slowly letting go of his hand. "Um…I said don't say anything Shino."

Glancing at his own hand, Shino slowly gripped it tightly as he spoke. "I apologize, but when you asked me to promise you, I found myself speaking without fully realizing it." Shino's brow furrowed unnoticeably in thought. "What an interesting ability."

Naruto slowly nodded, glancing at Shikamaru. "Okay Shika, one more thing to try then."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, standing up with a small sigh. "How troublesome."

"I want you to promise me the same thing as Shino."

Shikamaru stared at Naruto, glancing between the two for a moment before shrugging. Seeing no change in his demeanor, Shikamaru spoke. "I don't feel anything making me talk, so I guess that means I don't have to make it then?"

"Perhaps it requires direct contact then?" Shino hypothesized, slowly clenching and releasing his hand as he looked it over strangely. "Naruto-san did use traces of chakra when he shook my hand, so it is likely that it is some kind of bloodline jutsu."

Naruto blinked, remembering the three different promises and how strong they were compared to the others. That meant that since he wasn't interacting his chakra with theirs when he spoke, it didn't affect them, but when he touched them, their chakra _could_ interact with their own. In a way, it was similar to the way he had accidentally made a blood oath with Hinata by mixing his blood with her own. Realizing this, Naruto held out his hand to Shikamaru and waited for him to react.

"…how troublesome." Shikamaru muttered. Reaching out his hand, he was shocked to find that the moment his hand gripped Naruto's, the chakra from Naruto spiked through him and he found himself speaking. "I promise that I will keep your bloodline a secret from all those who don't already about it."

Backing away slowly, Naruto glanced between the two of them. Worried that he might have hurt any relationship between him and them, he shuffled nervously. He didn't like the idea of losing friends.

Luckily, Shino noticed his actions. "Do not worry Naruto-san, we are unharmed. Of course, this will be something to look over more in the future, so it would have been best to keep this to ourselves regardless. Once we know more, then we can act with somewhat more directness so as to ensure that this does not become something that our enemies can use against us."

Shikamaru shrugged, recognizing Naruto's worry as well. "Besides, even if you hadn't gotten us to promise, it would have been too troublesome to tell anyone. So don't worry about it, okay?"

Naruto nodded, a smile spreading quickly across his face. It felt good to get that off his chest, and to have friends that he could count on to help him.

**-xxxxx-**

Gritting her teeth as she sat next to the roaring fire, Anko shook her head as she added another piece of wood to the fire. While her first thought was to race to Konoha for medical treatment, she'd quickly realized that she was practically running on empty in regards to her chakra, and as such wouldn't get far before collapsing. If she were able to summon that may have helped, but as she was that wasn't going to happen any time soon. So instead, she had camped out, waiting to get her reserves back up so that she could get Sasuke to the hospital and keep him from bleeding out.

Not that it appeared to be much of a problem. With the bandages covering him, she'd swore that he should still be at least somewhat bleeding at the moment. To her surprise, the bleeding had lessened significantly, and was even beginning to very slowly heal. Shaking her head, she leaned back against the tree and rubbed her shoulder gently.

That power…where had it come from? A small part of her chided herself at the dumb question, but was silenced when she was forced to realize that what she'd done had never happened to her before. True, she had never activated her Ten no Juin before, but even without that being true there was little that suggested that Orochimaru's seal could even do such a thing beforehand.

"_No, that's not true. There was that Oto shinobi…"_ She mussed. The power to be physically changed had been shown by the Oto shinobi she and Sasuke had fought; Hiroto or something like that. He'd changed in a way somewhat similar to what she herself had shown. However, he'd mentioned that he'd needed Orochimaru to unlock it. _"So why did I change?"_

Off to the side, the slowly-returning-to-consciousness Sasuke slowly blinked as he stared up at the sky. Taking in what he saw, he winced at the pain in his chest before remembering what had happened. Letting his head roll to the side, he glanced at Anko, a small frown on his face. A second later, she turned to him, a far off look in her eyes as she smiled.

"Hey, you're not dead yet."

"…no, I'm too stubborn to die right now." Sasuke replied, a small twitch at the corner of his mouth betraying his amusement.

"Well that's good." Anko said as she picked up a few smaller twigs to toss into the fire. "We're both low on chakra, so we're going to be here a bit before we can head back. You comfy?"

Sasuke shrugged, immediately regretting it as the tugging of the muscles in his chest sent waves of pain through him. "…yeah, I'll be fine."

Anko narrowed her eyes, almost walking over to double check. A second later, a calm feeling washed over her and she nodded, leaning back with a sigh as she watched the fire. "Alright, that's good."

Sasuke winced inwardly at what he saw. Seeing his theory work in a small, yet subtle way further confirmed what he'd seen. The flow of his chakra into her, and her chakra into him. Their mental energies being mixed, and traded back and forth as he'd seen and memorized for only a moment. The truth behind their seals that he'd figured out from what he'd seen.

He could control her.

Granted, she was likely able to do the same back, but she didn't know about it the same way he did. He clearly remembered how she'd kept him in the hospital with her pleading when he would have otherwise left, which was a good reminded that this power was not his alone. Even as his mental energies were influencing her, his were being influenced by her as well. And with the way their absence from each other caused her react, he was certain of something.

He was not going to convince her to leave anytime soon.

Stranger still was the fact that after the time they'd interacted with one another, he wasn't sure he'd want her to leave.

Unsure of whether it was because of her influence, or because he'd interacted with her for long enough to be comfortable around her, he simply sighed and closed his eyes and relaxed.

* * *

AN: Le gasp, Naruto has told his secret! Dun dun dun~!

...no seriously, how many people saw that coming?

Before I get anyone saying anything about that scene, let me explain. Naruto...is still Naruto. He trusts people, and he wants to believe the best in them (even Ino, but...we'll get to that). So, when he finds himself confused by something that even his friends are baffled by, it's comforting. Especially since it means he doesn't need to worry that it's because he's dumb or anything; a new bloodline with unknown abilities would be confusing for anyone after all. Plus, the thing that puts the Uzumaki bloodline in the WTF level of bloodlines; getting others to keep _their_ promises with the potential threat of losing the use of their chakra. How's THAT for useful?

Meanwhile, Orochimaru continues to corrupt little children (big shock) and the set up for my Land of Snow remix begins...with one more twist to be revealed later, but you'll see (evil laugh).

And the final bit of info...Anko and Sasuke. That has been something I have played with since Orochimaru in the Forest of Death. How will it affect our heroes? We'll find out later.

Next time on Word of Honor; _Talk it Over._ Several people learn that sometimes the reaction they expected is not what they'll receive.


	44. Talk it Over

Alright! Time to get more Word of Honor out peoples! Hope you enjoy!

* * *

_Chapter 44: Talking it Over_

Within the dark 'temple' in Ame, Pein silently sat in his new 'throne' as he pondered what how to modify his future plans to ensure his victory was certain. Tapping his fingers gently, he silently raised his hands into a seal to contact one of the members of Akatsuki. He'd been lenient to them for quite some time, but now he needed to know of their progress.

It took a while before they responded, their duties clearly still something he'd have to work around. Still, there was soon another image before him of a woman in the cave where he'd projected his image. His face unwavering, he stared the new arrival down as he spoke.

"Report."

"Thus far, everything is going according to plan. The village has taken my ideas to build up our once lackluster medical section of shinobi training, and has even gone as far as to build it up. It should be more then acceptable within the next few years, with many more proficient medically trained shinobi in teams." She said, looking somewhat distracted as she tapped her fingers on her bracelet. She appeared to be in deep though, quite possibly taking in her surroundings in an attempt to determine its purpose. Or, perhaps her mind was on the program? He wasn't fully certain about her anymore.

"Good. With the way you've taken up your position, it will decrease casualties sufficiently for when we will fully get into motion. I trust that you will be ready for when the full plan is unveiled to you?"

At this she seemed to perk up. A surprising…eagerness slipped into her voice as she bowed to him. "Yes Leader-sama. I await your further instructions, and am waiting the time when my…probation, ends."

"Very good. You are dismissed Tsunade."

Pein watched the image disappear and frowned as he returned himself to where he sat. Pressing his fingers together, he let his mind run through multiple possibilities.

It was possible that Tsunade was a spy, having turned on them at some point. It would make sense, seeing how Jiraiya was her teammate, and it would give them ample opportunity to sabotage his work. However, from another inside source, he knew that she'd been sending Jiraiya _away_ from where she suspected their activities to be, allowing them more anonymity in their work. If anything, she seemed more concerned with her other teammate; Orochimaru.

This lead to the other option, and by far stranger to his mind; she was loyal to their cause. He'd expected her to come to them when he'd sent Itachi to convince her, but to see the way she bowed – her, a member of the Sanin and Godaime Hokage – to him made it far more apparent that she would not lower herself to such a state unless she felt he truly was her superior.

Normally one would find this to be useful, but for him it was a headache as his suspicious nature questioned why she would bow to him so easily. He'd expected more resistance from her. He'd expected to have to fight her for her loyalty and manipulate her at some point in the future. Yet here she was, bowing down to him and being _eager_ to help them. For a moment he almost wondered what Itachi had said to her…before realizing it was likely Itachi that had helped move his plans along.

A small smirk crossed his lips. After the loss of their master Madara, he'd had to alter his plans quite a bit. When he'd explained it to the members, while some were quite a bit skeptical, Itachi was surprisingly the most supportive. This plan was more than a weapon to promote fear now, it had become an inner turmoil that would make the villages bow before them and crumble into the palm of his hand.

Pausing in his thoughts, he slowly turned and made a small 'come out' gesture to a corner of the room. Slowly, hesitantly, Konan approached him with a small look of worry on her face. That was unexpected of her, seeing how calm and reserved she normally was. Then again, he was practiced at reading her body language and expressions from years of being with her. He was likely one of a select group who _could_ see the discomfort on her face.

Slowly standing up, he approached her slowly. Seeing her flinch when she noticed his approach, he paused in the middle. "…what is it Konan?"

"…I've…" Konan started, pausing to fiddle with a small piece of paper in her hand. Another tick he recognized as her being worried about something. "I needed to come see you. To tell you something important."

His face remained impassive, motioning for her to come closer. When she was finally within reach, he looked her in the eyes and waited. She would talk when she was ready, she always did.

Slowly, her hand took his and began to trace random patterns in it. Focusing on each one, he recognized the kanji she was subtly writing. Clearly this was something of great importance to her to use their oldest code method. As he silently read each one, his mind began piecing together what she was saying. When her hand stopped, his eyes widened in some of the first emotions shown on his face in a long time. "…are you…certain?"

"Completely." Konan replied, biting her lip and looking out the window. "…what are we going to do?"

Pein stared out as well, mind racing as he thought of many different situations where he could fix this. After a while though, he realized he didn't need to fix this. It didn't change anything. His plans would go on, and he would be able to let her deal with this as needed. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he spoke quietly. "We will allow it to happen. To do otherwise would be against everything we've been planning. Life over death…so that people will know our pain, and teach those who are ignorant."

Konan stared at him, eyes distant in thought before she leaned into him and sighed. "Of course."

Taking a slow, deep breath, he wrapped his arms around her. He could afford this moment with her. This moment wouldn't make any difference to his plans, but to them…he couldn't be sure.

**x-x-x**

Two people sat on a couch in a quiet room staring at the wall in front of them. Both were mentally and physically still exhausted from their actions from the previous day, and with good reason. Each had managed to get out of having a physical examination done, which helped prevent the doctors from seeing the chakra burns, and scaring on both of their bodies. The doctors knew what they were doing, but both knew that they'd heal regardless.

Still, as she leaned into her smaller companion, Anko couldn't help but shiver slightly. Chakra burns were notorious for acting like normal burns in that they let body heat slip out, only they did so at a much larger rate. The arm that had transformed during their fight with Mizuki was quite cold, and were it not for Sasuke being willing to let her wrap it around him for warmth, she was almost certain she'd lose feeling and potentially usage of her arm.

Sasuke in the meantime, was still mulling over his newfound discovery. He'd tested out a few more things with Anko, and was finding more and more the amount of conscious control he could have over her if he wanted. However, in doing so he also was quick to realize that her subconscious mind was also affecting him at the same time. He could feel parts of her desires, her pain, and sometimes even her memories. It was concerning, since Anko on several occasions had unknowingly slipped past him and been prodding him through his seal. If he kept it up, she would likely get him to spill all that he knew and would likely get tortured in some manner.

He'd seen the memories. He knew what she might do to him when he told her.

However, he could also tell that in not telling her he was hurting himself. A small whisper urged him to tell her, to give in and take what may come. She'd clearly shown she needed him, what with her sneaking into his home just to get a peaceful sleep and being quite clingy like she was at the moment. It made him wonder what it was that was that drove her to seek him out.

"I have nightmares." Anko whispered, getting a small jolt of surprise from Sasuke. Looking at the wall with a far off look, she sighed softly as she continued. "Usually it's just old memories of things I've already seen and done, but…sometimes it's something different. Sometimes it's red, and I can't stop the feeling of despair from choking me as I sleep. And…I can feel you there, screaming for them to stop."

Sasuke's entire body tensed up, his mind coming to an obvious conclusion. "You're seeing the Uchiha massacre."

Anko nodded. "I thought Orochimaru could be cruel, that he could be twisted. But with you, Itachi spared no expense apparently. He showed you three days of the same event happening over and over…each occurring in just one second of that time." She sighed as she leaned against him. "What a dangerous genjutsu he created."

Sasuke nodded, remembering the event only too well. Feeling a small push, his eyes narrowed as he felt the need to tell her his dreams in turn. "…I've seen what he did to you. What he made you do and what he made you watch him do." The golden yellow eyes of the snake stared into him, and he felt the feeling of pride he knew was not his. "You thought he cared for you, didn't you?" She didn't have to say anything, just nodding slowly as she remembered. With a small frown, Sasuke voiced the new concern. "…how long?"

"Have I known?" Anko asked, feeling him nod in return, she looked away with a tired look. "Not long after the hospital. When I couldn't sleep and you were the only one I could be around and feel…sane. It wasn't hard, I _am_ a special jonin for a reason after all. A little pushing and prodding, and I realized what I could do. What I could make you do if I wanted to."

"But you didn't." Sasuke felt something strange, like a flimsy bridge or a rope attached to his cursed seal. As he said this, it was like he was suddenly watching that connection snap, and replaced with cast iron and steel, clear and connected to the other point.

In the same moment, he felt everything Anko was feeling now, barely brushing over the surface as they flitted about. Pride, happiness, worry, fear, and shock were more predominant. He knew from the way her hand suddenly began playing with his hair to comfort him that she was feeling his emotions too; anxious, relieved, concerned.

"I wouldn't dare." Anko whispered, also surprised by the sudden strengthening of the bond between their cursed seals. "It would hurt you if you found out that I was trying to control you, just like you could feel how I would've felt if you did the same."

Sasuke nodded, his hand sliding on his left shoulder over the mark. He was scared, feeling open and vulnerable, and yet there was a feeling of comfort as well. She knew him, and she was trying to respect him.

"The dreams weren't our fault…the seal did that on its own." Anko said with a scowl. "The further we are from each other, the more they try to draw us back together. It's like Orochimaru put magnets in our seals to pull us towards each other, to force us to be close so that we'd rub off on each other."

"Why?" Sasuke whispered, his mind racing with possibilities. He knew that Orochimaru wanted him for whatever reason, but he couldn't quite place it. As he was thinking of this though, he felt a poke from his seal. Following it, Anko opened her mind to him to learn what she knew of the man. "…he wants immortality…and to learn every jutsu in the world."

"And what better way to learn every jutsu then to use the Sharingan." She muttered, silently guiding him deeper. Despite the childishness, and the oddities of her actions at times, she was a jonin with more than her fair share of training in mental walls. The fact that Sasuke had gotten through them through the cursed seal spoke volumes about what Orochimaru was planning, at least to her understanding.

Sasuke looked through the different memories silently, eyes darting as foreign images displayed themselves in his mind's eye. He saw the horrors she'd experienced, the things Orochimaru had done. More importantly though, he saw one of the kinjutsu that he'd been working on before he'd abandoned her. "He was going to jump bodies."

"He likely has already." Anko muttered softly. "He was creating a jutsu that would let him go from body to body, and would allow him to keep certain…things, intact. "

"Like Sharingan eyes."

"Or other bloodlines, yes." She sighed, leaning back as she tried to push back some of the darker thoughts. "He was a brilliant sensei, a mastermind in his own right, but damn it all if he wasn't a sadist who deserved to burn in hell."

Sasuke froze, catching something that he knew Anko wasn't trying to show him. Feeling his reaction, she glanced at him, eyes widening as she too realized what he'd felt and seen. A small hiss of anger crossed his face, and it curled up in disgust as Sasuke saw some of the key points of Orochimaru's later experiments that she'd been a part of. "He…what the hell…"

"…I was his apprentice." She muttered, hand running through his hair more for her comfort now then his. "I wanted him to be proud of me like any apprentice would. He was willing to let me…and…"

"You shouldn't have."

"I had every right!" Anko snapped, flinching as she felt Sasuke's anger flinch back as he became apologetic.

"…he shouldn't have then." Sasuke muttered, the image playing in his mind causing his fists to slowly clench in rage. "To play with you like that…give you a seal that could've killed you…and then just leave."

"I chose to leave him."

"He chose to abandon you." Sasuke said, hissing again. Anko was surprised at how snake-like he was sounding now. Maybe she shouldn't sick so many on him when they trained later. "You didn't just see him as your sensei. Don't lie to me Anko, I can feel it. He…he was everything. The Hokage filled some of it later, but nothing replaced what he was to you. He was family…and he walked away."

Anko looked away, not sure whether to be ashamed that she still held onto that memory, or to be perturbed by Sasuke's reaction to it. Deciding on the latter, she gently prodded for more understanding. "You say that like you understand."

"…my brother massacred my entire family." Sasuke said slowly, his eyes clouded over. Both he and she could see the red sky of the illusion as he remembered, the mere memory of the genjutsu sending a shiver down their spine. "He showed me the entirety of our family's demise, he beat me up and cast me aside…but if he hadn't…"

"Are you…serious?" Anko whispered, the thought causing her to lean away for a moment to get a clear look at him.

The look on Sasuke's face was grim, distant, but full of a dark conviction. "If I hadn't been told that the massacre was by his hands…I would have gladly left the village with him."

There was an uncomfortable silence as they bounced emotions back and forth. Neither was fully certain what to make of what the other felt, or what they thought. Each could now tell more about the other with less than a glance, and yet they held depths that neither of them could imagine fully understanding. This was not something that Anko would have expected him to say, but what she'd felt about Orochimaru wasn't something Sasuke had expected her to feel either.

Finally, she leaned back into him and sighed. "What a couple of outcast misfits we make."

Sasuke snorted at that, letting her know he thought that was funny so that she wasn't insulted by his apparent lack of approval for her statement. "It could be worse. We could have Naruto as our 'misfit offspring'."

Anko pouted. "Hey, I'm not _that _bad." Feeling his look at him, she rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay yes you can say I'm worse at times, but still. I didn't run around shouting about becoming Hokage every five minutes while wearing orange."

"No, but I never said that _you_ were the only reason for that." Sasuke said, chuckling at Anko's flabbergasted look.

"Why Sasuke-chan, I never thought you were one for pranks and mischief!" Anko teasted.

"Just because I never laughed out loud at them, doesn't mean I can't appreciate a dobe who can outrun chunin and get away from them using basic shinobi skills." Sasuke said with a shrug. Remembering another thing Naruto did, he suddenly found himself flinching as a different image took its place. His head whipped to Anko, who was trying to look as innocent as possible. "Was that…_really_ necessary?"

Anko bit her lip to keep from laughing. "No~ but considering what you showed _me_ I thought it was only fair."

"That was…Anko I will never be able to get that…you're still thinking about it aren't you?" Sasuke's eye twitched. "Anko stop that. Seriously, that's getting…I…ah…"

Slowly, a small droplet of blood came from his nose as his eyes grew distant. Anko blinked, waving her hands in front of his face slowly. "…whoops, I may have overdone it a bit. Oh well, it was worth it."

Cackling softly, she got up to go cook something up while his brain tried to reboot. She was thinking something sweet, like dango, or waffles. Or maybe something with tomatoes. Mm, grilled tomatoes with a –

"Damn it Sasuke-chan, don't try to push your tomato love on me!"

Sasuke, now halfway in the world of conscious thought, rolled his eyes. "Oh come on Anko, it's healthy."

"Don't you give me that! I know where you sleep!"

"Yeah, right next to me." Sasuke mumbled as he leaned over the couch.

"You know you like it~" Sasuke didn't say anything, already knowing that the stronger link between them had betrayed him already as Anko slowly peaked around the corner with a snake-like grin. "Ooh~ I'm gonna hold that over your head for a _long_ time."

"…sometimes I hate my life." Sasuke said softly. Feeling a sensation like a hug around him originating from the seal, he rubbed it gently with a ghost of a smile on his face. "But maybe…it'll get better."

**x-x-x**

Naruto flopped on his bed and threw up his hands in aggravation. "I. Hate. Paperwork."

After their C-ranked mission, Naruto had found that with all the events, he was required to stay afterwards to make certain he was aware of all the key points to give in his report. While Shino and Shikamaru had already left, he was stuck in the Hokage Tower for another hour and a half; the first half to go over their reports, and then the next hour wading through all the bureaucratic mess that he found himself in. Who knew that destroying a museum like Aoi did would end up being pointed so much at _him_?

Moaning again, Naruto frowned as he thought of what had happened on this last mission. It had too many twists and turns for his liking. His bloodline was _far_ better then he'd imagined, and yet it forced him to realize that not only did he not know anything about his bloodline, but two members of his family before him didn't. He was a pioneer on the subject!

That thought caused him to pause. Partly because he was struggling to remember where he'd learned what a pioneer was, and partly because this information was likely in his head. With this in mind, he closed his eyes and focused his chakra to the forefront of his head. He had a mindscape to drop in on.

**x-x-x**

It took barely a moment to get into his mindscape, but as soon as he did he felt himself freeze. After some practice and training, he'd learned how to go into different parts of his mind instinctively. However, rather than the central training grounds he wanted, he found himself in a different, yet still strikingly memorable room. It was the room patterned after the Hokage's office; the room where his promises were held.

Slowly looking around, he scratched his head. "Oops, wrong part of my brain. Hehe, oh well, might as well check it out while I'm here!"

Glancing around the room, Naruto paused in front of his favorite picture. _"I won't run away…"_ was the caption, and in it he still looked like Zabuza had at the end of his fight. Despite the morbid scene of him being impaled, it was nostalgic for him and reminded him of the nindo that he'd set himself to when he'd completed his mission in Wave. The next one held more attachment to it, but then it was also the blood oath he'd made with Hinata.

As he looked at the picture though, he took a step back. Tripping over his own feet, he let out a squawk of shock as he landed on his posterior. Still his eyes remained glued to the image, which was no longer the one he remembered it being.

Gone was the image of him glaring at the world with a string of kunai behind him. In its place, he saw himself glaring out with his eyes shrouded in blue chakra, and lightning arching down his arms. A ball of chakra hovered above him, spinning out of control as his arms reached protectively of the other person in front of him. Written in the spiraling Imari (Menacing Ball) was his promise; _"I vow to win."_

The biggest change to the image though was the fact that unlike the incomplete picture before, it was now filled to the border with its full and complete image. Unlike before, Naruto was not the only person in the picture. Instead, the familiar lavender eyes of Hyuuga Hinata stared upwards at his form in the picture. She wore her normal coat, though it was loosely draped on her shoulders rather than tightly bound together. The serene, small smile she'd given in the hospital adorned her face as she apparently leaned into him. One hand rested on his arm, while the other was lightly placed over her heart. Written in red on her arm, were the words she'd spoken to him in the hospital.

"_You can trust me Naruto-kun. I promise."_

"Not quite a _vow_ like yours was, but I suppose that'll do."

Naruto froze, the new voice causing him to tense up. Whirling to his feet, his body snapped into a defensive stance as he faced the newcomer…only to find himself face to face with himself.

The other him grinned, his face contorted and dark. The normal whites of his eyes were black, and the blues were red with slit pupils. His fangs were long, and his whisker marks were thick and dark, adding to the wild appearance he had. He wore exactly what Naruto was wearing, but despite the similarities, Naruto felt uneasy in front of him.

"Aw, what's the matter? Fox got your tongue?" The dark Naruto asked, chuckling at Naruto's reaction. "Oh come on, don't be such a pansy boy. I'm just here to say hi. Besides, I never got to introduce myself all the other times you came in here."

Naruto slowly relaxed, warily looking the other him over before making a 'go on gesture'. If this guy was 'him', then he figured he might as well see what he wanted.

The dark Naruto grinned widely as he cackled. Bowing to him with mock dignity, he chuckled as he spoke. "You may call me Makkura. And I…am you."

Naruto blinked, scratching his head as he took that in. "So…you're my shortsightedness?"

Makkura scowled, eyes glowing as he shouted angrily. "No you fool! I am your darkness. A complete embodiment of every piece of darkness you have accumulated over time. I am absolute, complete, and total darkness incarnate."

"…you don't seem all that evil." Naruto replied with another scratch of his head.

Makkura scoffed, looking away from Naruto as he growled. "You are not completely evil, therefore I am not completely evil. However, I _am_ your darkness, that which you hide deep within." His head slowly turned to Naruto, slowly raising his hand in front of him as an image slowly took shape. "Like what you did to Aoi…"

Naruto flinched back as the image of Aoi appeared in his hand, dead eyes staring into his own. Taking a slow breath, he glared at Makkura. "…so you're the one who'll give me nightmares about this to make me feel guilty about it, right?"

"Oh on the contrary, guilt is the last thing I want you to feel." Makkura replied with a wicked look in his eyes. "I want you to _enjoy_ it. I want you to sit back and think 'I did good' and remind you that you are powerful. To feel so powerful that you could drown in it if you don't let it out to flood across the nations, to let them _feel_ your scorn and undying wrath as you watch them flinch at the very mention of your name."

Naruto stared at him, shaking his head slowly. It sounded like a dark fantasy, sick and twisted to the point that it made him nauseous. However, the small part that scared him wasn't what he'd said. It was the fact that they were all things he'd imagined himself doing before he met Iruka.

"Ah, so you do remember your old dreams then?" Naruto's head snapped up, darkened blue eyes glaring into gleaming red. "Good. I want you to remember that feeling, to remember the scorn we endured." His eyes flickered past Naruto to the picture behind him before his look darkened. "And to remember what was done to those we hold close."

Naruto slowly moved between Makkura and the picture carefully, not liking the way he'd stared at it. "I don't know what you're talking about."

A sudden pounding on the door drew Makkura's attention, though Naruto didn't bother as he focused on Makkura. "Ah, it seems Han'ishiki isn't as unaware as I expected. Oh well, I got my say in."

"Makkura…" Naruto growled as his body tensed up. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh don't worry…you'll understand." Makkura said, his body slowly fading away as it sunk into the floor.

As soon as Makkura had vanished, Han'ishiki, Kushina, Kamina, and Hinata burst through the door. Han'ishiki glared into the room, his eyes narrowing quickly where Makkura had disappeared. **"…he got away."**

"You have some explaining to do Han'ishiki." Naruto said, stopping his subconscious manifestation from running out to track him down. Turning to Naruto, the two had a small staring match before Naruto sighed. Slowly, he pointed at the picture of himself and Hinata. "What the hell did I miss?"

Getting four people blinking and turning to where he was pointing, his eyes twitched slightly at the different reactions. Kushina squealed softly at the picture, saying something about how adorable it was to see how protective he looked of Hinata. Hinata had turned a bright red and was poking her fingers together likely as quick as her heart was currently racing. Kamina was laughing himself into a fetal position for whatever reason, which was the main source of Naruto's ire.

Han'ishiki though, just smirked and answered his question. **"That's what a full oath looks like Naruto." **Walking over to it, his hands hovered over the picture with a look of respect on his face. Sighing softly, he let his fingers brush against the border as he spoke. **"The full might of a blood oath is at your disposal…and we have much to learn about it."**

Naruto stared at him silently, letting it sink in. When he'd been told that sparing with Han'ishiki would make his bloodline stronger, he'd taken to sparing with him like a fish to water. However, there was a side effect that he had to deal with, which was happening now. Every time he was in his mind, he received something of a mental feedback where Han'ishiki and his own thoughts became difficult to distinguish from one another, meaning he was able to figure things out from everything he'd once learned. _Everything._

"So what you're saying is that…like when I knew where Tsunade was without having met her before, I will be able to…what? Know things ahead of time? Predict the future? Han'ishiki even for _me_ that sounds weird." Naruto said, gripping his head. More information was bounced between them, causing Naruto to pause. "…okay, Sharingan-like awesome prediction skills _is_ cool, but…didn't I have that before?"

"You did kid, but now it'll be more easy to work with." Kamina replied, finally getting himself back to his feet. "Before you were working with half your oath made, and without Hinata-chan's part added to make it work right. Now though, it'll only get better from here."

Naruto nodded, staring at the picture with a far off look in his eyes. He would get stronger. He could never lose…not as long as he had someone to protect.

"Also, you two just look absolutely _adorable_ like that. Make sure you give her a kiss next time you see her!"

Naruto was going to kill him. Even as he let out a playful shout as he bolted off, Naruto would make sure he suffered as he embarrassed him in front of his mind's Hinata…again.

It was good to be 'home'.

* * *

AN: Oh noes, character development! Aah~

Oh wait, I've been planning this out since I brought several key characters together. Never mind.

So yeah, Pein, Tsunade, and Konan are having their stuff slowly inched forwards. Sasuke and Anko...well they're getting _really_ close to each other, which will make what Sasuke will start doing both make sense, and be as random as Anko at times. And really, could you imagine if Naruto was their misfit offspring? That...would be a dangerous child. And finally, I get to introduce one of my top favorite of the people in Naruto's head; Makkura. Unfortunately, I had to wait for FOURTY-FOUR CHAPTERS to introduce him. Talk about a long wait. Oh well, he's here now.

Also, check out my new fic; Who Walks Among Dragons. I've invested 50K words already into it, and I'd like all of your opinions on it.

And that should do it. Review and send me flames to keep me warm, because~

Next time on Word of Honor; _Lady of Ice._ The Land of Snow Arc begins!


	45. Lady of Ice

...a question to my loyal fans. Caspien123 reviewed last chapter, and reminded me that in my previous chapter I laid down some interesting thoughts about pasts and whatnot. One of which...might be considered a touchy subject, and thus my question. Do you think I should up the rating of my story to M? It's not directly mentioned, and it's far from proven_ what_ I've chosen, but...the idea is there, and ideas can be dangerous (case and point, I'm writing this story).

So yeah, please let me know, so that I can make sure to properly ensure that my readers are not...well, not taken aback when they get to that chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...or this movie. Dang it all...

* * *

_Chapter 45: Lady of Ice_

"Kakashi." Tsunade spoke softly, her eyes narrowing slowly as she took in the request the grey-haired jonin had given her. "What you're asking…is for me to take two prominent chunin and put them onto your team for a single A-ranked mission when we don't have the time to resources to do so. And I following you correctly so far?"

"You are correct Tsunade-sama." Kakashi said smoothly, eye unwavering as he handed her a folder. "If you'll look in this folder, you'll see the details of my previous mission in that area. This mission, I know for a fact, will be larger than they think. I would hope that asking for two chunin as back up for myself and my genin 'apprentice' much to ask for in my mind. I hope that you'll come to the same feeling after you've reviewed these details."

Tsunade slowly took the folder from him, quickly browsing through the contents held within. After a moment, she began to scrutinize them more thoroughly. Pulling the current mission side by side with it, her eyes widened slightly. Glancing up to Kakashi, she sighed. "Very well. I will make sure they know that Team Seven will be given an A-ranked mission shortly. Any other requirements they should know about?"

Kakashi hummed, tapping his chin. "Well…tell them I would suggest that they watch the latest movie. I hear it's quite the hit at the moment after all."

**x-x-x**

"…do you really have to go?"

"You knew this would happen. We both did."

"I know but…what will happen? We've managed to stay close but with this mission you'll be further then you've been before."

Sasuke sat at the table, rubbing his forehead gently as he glanced at Anko. Rather than annoyance, it was with worry; for her, as well as for himself. Neither of them were really ready for this, as they didn't know how things would turn out. Still, "Don't worry. I trust you. You're strong, and I…think, that whatever happened to our seals is making us stronger. We've definitely had enough time to play with some of what we can do now, so…I suppose we'll see this go through a trial by fire."

Anko sighed, her head resting agaist the table. "I know. It's just annoying that stuff like this came up _now_ right after we start figuring things out.I was so close to corrupting you."

"Naruto has tried for a much longer time. You've got your work cut out for you." Sasuke said, smiling slightly despite himself. He'd started to find that at home, with Anko, he'd found himself doing that more often. It was a surprisingly good stress reliever.

"Just promise me you'll come back?" Anko muttered. Sasuke could feel her worry, and silent push for him to let her believe things would be okay. For a second he pushes back slightly in concern, not wanting to lie to her. After feeling her all but put up a wall, he finally sighed and relented.

"….okay. I promise." Sasuke said, rubbing her back gently.

Anko smiled, an impishness coming to it as she spoke. "Good! As a reward, I'll pack your stuff."

Sasuke blinked. "Uh, you really don't have to –"

"Too late!" Anko shouted, already in the kitchen humming merrily.

His hand wavered in the air where his hand had once rested on her back. Blinking, not sure how she'd slipped out of his grip so easily, Sasuke sighed, shaking his head. Remembering her favorite foods, he called out to her, "Remember, I don't like sweets!"

"Right~ and I don't like tomatoes, but I eat 'em now!" Anko shot back.

Sasuke's eye twitched at the shot. "It was an accident! I didn't think it would actually _stick_. You aren't holding that over my head are you?"

"What do you think?"

"…damn it all." Sasuke muttered. Sighing softly, he chuckled. "At least it isn't ramen."

**x-x-x**

Sitting cross-legged on the ceiling, Naruto hummed softly as he watched the movie. As it reached its dramatic conclusion, he barely held in his excitement and glee.

"Naruto breathe. It's just a movie." Sakura admonished, noticing his breathless giggling.

"I know, but it's Yukie's movie! And we're going to help protect her on our next mission!" Naruto whispered excitedly. He was far from a secret fan of her work; it just wasn't brought up or asked much. Whenever Naruto felt down or needed someone to say something optimistic, he'd just watch one of the movies and he'd be set. It didn't always work, but it was often the thought that counted.

"Oi, don't get too worked up now." Sasuke muttered, silently enjoying the movie himself. "If you're too loud, we'll get thrown out of the theaters. The movie's over, but still."

Naruto rolled his eyes. If he hadn't had someone zapping his brain a couple times and then have traumatic experiences then maybe he would've been much louder about his excitement and joy. Now though, he was able to keep it quiet, and enjoy the calm feeling the optimistic Fuun-hime showed them. Surprisingly, he found he was able to enjoy things more this way. It also helped him to notice the small curl on Sasuke's lips that hinted he was smiling, as well as the way he'd watched with rapt attention, and even scowled when the evil Mao had shown up with his undead army.

Sakura on the other hand, merely rolled her eyes at the fiction. While she definitely enjoyed the movie, there was a clear disconnect between her and the movie. Her mind was elsewhere, and for once she didn't seem as disappointed when Naruto had taken the seat in the middle of the three. He'd have to think on that later.

Dropping to the floor, they all walked out casually with small grins on their faces as they sat down and waited for Kakashi to show up. He knew when it ended, so they expected him to be there within the next three hours or so – Naruto and Sasuke did anyways. Sakura seemed more attentive, and was occasionally glancing around as though looking for their wayward sensei. Both boys glanced at each other, shrugging one after the other in confusion before giving up on trying to figure her out.

As they stood there, a white horse bolted past them, with several more following after. Each of them looked at the scene idly, blinking before glancing at one another.

"…it is way too early for this." Sakura muttered, rubbing her forehead gently as she stared after them.

Sasuke shrugged. "Could be worse. We could be stuck here waiting with nothing to do."

"Oi! Catch up already or we'll lose them!" Naruto shouted, already halfway to where the horsemen were.

His teammates flinched as they realized he'd left them behind. _"When the hell did he leave us?!"_ They thought as they bolted after him.

Upon reaching the group, Naruto ignored them and raced onwards, whistling a merry tune as he went. He could practically feel several of the horsemen blink and do a double take as he outran their horses, which only made his grin wider. Pointing backwards, he speed up to outrun them and over take the white horse in front. Some of the smarter – or dumber depending on how you saw it – looked back at where Naruto had pointed. They quickly found themselves on the receiving end of two highly trained shinobi who began quickly yanking them off their horses and hogtying them.

Still whistling his tune, Naruto soon saw the white horse again. Grinning, he hopped up onto the side of a wall and got the aerial advantage just in case any of the dark horsemen caught up after escaping Sasuke and Sakura. He actually had to pause to snicker at that. While he'd been away from his team for almost three weeks, he was still more then confident in their skills as shinobi. To think that someone could just _escape_ from them was like saying Naruto could just go on a mission without anything blowing up in his face. It just didn't happen.

Naruto had the mission reports for D-rank missions where things blew up in his face to prove it.

Focusing down on the white rider, Naruto couldn't help but feel he was missing something. Something rather important, like he knew who this person was. As they slowed down, he finally got ahead enough to freeze up and stare down at the woman. _"HOLY CRAP. It's Yukie-hime!"_

Said woman hopped of her horse, looking around irritably. Seeing a few people who seemed to be curious about her, she shielded herself from them by moving the horse between them. Slipping away from the horse, she made her way down an alleyway to avoid anyone on the opposite side seeing her. Being famous made it a bit hard for her to simply walk down a street without being recognized by some stupid kid who wanted an autograph. She didn't like kids, they were too pushy for her and –

Feeling someone behind her, she froze before whipping around. There, standing confidently and with a rather large smirk, was an odd blond-haired boy. Looking him over, she silently scoffed at him before trying to move away. As she did so, the boy made an indignant noise before running around to be in front of her. Not having any of that, she bolted down another connecting alley just as a shadow dropped in front of her, revealing the same blond boy.

Looking back, she saw that there were actually two of him now, which caused her to moan softly. "Great. Twins." Tapping her foot in annoyance, she looked between the two with a small scowl. "Alright, what do you want?"

The original Naruto, not sure what to make of the tone and attitude she had, simply walked up and held out an autograph book and pen. It was his first chance to meet Yukie Fujikaze in person and like _hell_ he was going to just walk away. The clone shrugged, pointing to the original before dispelling.

Said woman scoffed, picking up the pen and pad to scrawl out a signature. If he were at eye-level, she could use the emergency pepper spray in her earring, but due to how short he was, it wouldn't reach him. Since her back was turned, she didn't see the disappearance of his clone, which meant she was still ignorant to his profession. "Alright brat, who am I making this out to?"

"Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto said, still grinning happily.

Slowly finishing the 'signature' she got an idea. Kneeling down as though to hand the signed book to him, she quickly reached up as though brushing her hair back and got him with the spray right in his eyes. Naruto, unprepared and caught off guard, yelped as his eyes were suddenly blinded. Feeling himself get smacked in the chest by his book, he growled as he heard her start running off.

"Sokusensokketsu no Jutsu (Blitzkrieg Technique)." Naruto muttered as he finished forming the seals for the jutsu.

With his nerves set to 'I can _feel_ the colors of your shirt' level, Naruto followed after Yukie. It would be just the same to take a moment to clear his eyes out, but with his trademark bloodline-related jutsu, he could feel things almost as well as he could see them. He had found that using the seals gave him better control when he wasn't using promises, which was a big help since he didn't want to feel every footstep he took.

He would find her, and she would pay for that.

**x-x-x**

Yukie stared into her drink as she watched the ice clink around in her drink. Ice. Cold, and unmovable, yet bringing back several warm memories. Clearly she'd finished her drink and needed a refill. Much as she loved remembering her father, the pain was more annoying now more than anything. It didn't help that in her other hand she held a crystal that at times felt just as cold, and invoked even more pain.

Getting that much needed refill, she sighed as she began to work on drink number…she'd lost count. Good. That made things easier since she wouldn't be lying when Sandayuu asked how drunk she'd gotten. Then again, she could always just respond with a casual 'drunk till I passed out' excuse again. He never liked that one, but damned if it wasn't true.

"Well, seeing how that's the eleventh drink you've had, I'm gonna go ahead and say you've had enough now. Kay?"

Yukie blinked, slowly turning to look at the person seated next to her. To her shock, it was the brat –Naruto something– from earlier, sitting there staring at her passively as he waited for her to react. Far too drunk to care by this point, she ignored him and motioned to the bartender. "Refill please."

"She's done. I'm gonna help her back to her room." He said, giving the bartender a very poignant look.

"Who the hell do you think you are to order me around brat?" Yukie asked quietly, tapping her drink on the table with some aggravation. "Bartender! Another round."

"You're done." Naruto took the cup from her hand with surprising speed as he placed it out of her reach for the bartender to pick up.

She slowly turned her head, staring at him with cold eyes. "I said, who are you to think you can order me around…brat?"

"Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto replied, as though it were obvious. Hooking his thumbs into his vest, he presented it for her inspection before motioning to the hiate around his neck. "Konoha shinobi, chunin rank, and your guard for your next movie."

"…aw hell, Sandayuu sent for you didn't he?" She asked, slowly pushing herself out of her chair with a glare. "Well you can tell him…I'm not gonna go back. He can't –"

"I'm really sorry about this, big fan and all." Naruto said, reaching out and poking her forehead. "Dengeki (Electric Shock)."

Suddenly feeling a shock race through her, with the alcohol not helping her in her struggle to remain conscious, Yukie blacked out.

**x-x-x**

The next day, on a boat leading out to Yuki no Kuni (Land of Snow), Naruto was hunched over as a loud shout rang through the salty air. "You did WHAT!?"

"Ow Sakura-chan, that hurt…more than normal." Naruto muttered, the lump on his head throbbing slightly.

"You kinda had that one coming dobe." Sasuke said, gently patting his back with a sigh. "She may not be a film expert, but you did essentially knock out the person we're supposed to protect. I'd say she's in the wrong, but Kakashi told us beforehand, so…yeah, you're at fault."

"I know where you sleep." Naruto hissed, silently happy that the old team bond was there, if twisted. Gone was the simple bond of three kids thrown together, and now…something weird was going on. Naruto himself knew he'd changed, he'd been through it. His teammates surprised him with their changes though.

Sakura seemed different altogether. Having been her personal punching bag, Naruto knew she could hit hard; now it seemed as though she was hitting _harder_. And no longer did she fawn over Sasuke's every word; now it was _Kakashi's_ every word that she hung off of. If Kakashi was talking, she was listening, drinking in anything he said with rapt attention. Naruto had joked to Sasuke that if asked to jump, Sakura would be the first to say "how high?" Sasuke had rolled his eyes and said that she'd have already been in the air when asked.

Naruto wasn't sure if he was joking or not.

Speaking of the Uchiha, Sasuke had changed in ways that at some points were subtle, and then at other points seemed radically different. Most of the time he kept to his monosyllable answering style, though he was more open with his teammates. However, Naruto swore that at one point as an actress walked past him his eyes followed her for a second before he suddenly excused himself. Later Sasuke came back in, but Naruto swore the boy's hiate was crooked, and that there was a small mark on his face. Sasuke swore it was nothing, but the signs of him beating his head on something were evident to him. He also joked sometimes, like he just had, which spooked Naruto when it'd first happened, and it was _not_ becoming easier to adapt to just yet.

Still, the ocean air was nice, and Naruto found himself trying to relax and enjoy the movie production. After Yukie's small freak out upon learning she was already on a boat, she had dived right into her role as Fuun-hime for their next movie. This actually turned out to be more of a discomfort for the blond, as he watched the woman slip seamlessly between emotional optimist, to cold and uncaring in a blink.

Unfortunately, he found himself getting bonked on the head more often than he remembered ever getting hit before, as he'd often be spacing out when Sakura or Kakashi was talking to him and then Sakura would proceed to hit him over the head. It wasn't his fault he wasn't paying attention, he'd never watched a movie production before and it was entertaining. If anything, _Sasuke_ was the most considerate of the three, actually getting his attention before talking to him and _before _hitting him.

Glancing back at Sakura, she coolly stared back. Naruto shivered slightly, not certain who was more the ice queen on the boat at the moment; Yukie or Sakura. It didn't really help that Sakura was normally a lot more giddy, and didn't seem so…stone cold. It was like the old Sakura had a mask of stone that completely altered who she was, turning the spitfire young girl into a cold as ice woman.

Worse still, was that when Naruto had first seen her he'd been ecstatic about working with her, and seeing all the cool things they could go over together. After getting over the small concussion, he'd found that asking her about anything shinobi related received only a clipped answer in return, while the few things she _would_ talk about were done in a precise and militant manner.

Shockingly, it was once again_ Sasuke_ who had to fill him in that she was still upset that she hadn't been able to get through the Chunin Exams and get promoted, which made her the lowest ranked member of the team. It wouldn't bug her so much, except Naruto was the only one of the two who wore the vest, which meant that she was constantly reminded that the boy she once looked down on as weaker than her was now a chunin with the cool vest and the awesome missions while she'd fallen behind. Plus, while Kakashi and Sasuke both knew Naruto wouldn't use his rank to take advantage of a situation like this, Sakura wanted to be sure that he understood that their 'relationship' was purely professional.

Making his way onto the mast to think, he scowled as he gripped his head. The problem with this whole thing was that he'd been happy to see Sakura. Old habits had long since died down, even with the old promise still stuck somewhere in his head. And yet, while he'd grown up and matured, Sakura still looked at him like he was the same genin who chased her around and pinned for her affection. He wasn't mad really, but he didn't get it.

Closing his eyes, he focused his chakra inward slightly to get some advice from people who weren't trying to brain him at the moment. _"Hey guys. You getting all that?"_

"…_I'm not sure, I couldn't see anything past the floor after all the times she hit you."_ Kamina replied with a deadpan tone. _"Seriously, how many times does a woman have to hit you before she realizes you don't have the brain cells to lose?"_

"_Otou-san…be nice to his teammate."_ Kushina said, trying to play peacemaker. For once she was glad Han'ishiki had made her be quiet, or else Naruto would realize that peacemaker…didn't really suit her very well. _"It's likely she's just stressed, and likely has cabin fever. I mean really, if there wasn't a movie being made, Naruto would've gone crazy by now too."_

"_I heard that."_

**:: It's totally true though ::**

Naruto moaned softly, hating that even his subconscious seemed to be picking on him now. Cutting the link off, he focused on what was in front of him…and blinked owlishly. "Uh…can I help you?"

"…" Sasuke stared at him, suddenly hanging upside-down next to him. There was plenty of distance between them – log knows they didn't need a repeat of their last day at the Academy – but Sasuke seemed to be studying him with a curious look in his eyes. "Where do you go?"

"Huh?"

"When you stare off like that. You…never did that before. It makes me wonder if you're thinking about something, or if you're reliving a memory." Sasuke said, eyes darkened slightly as he remembered some of the dark dreams he'd still been having. Seeing light bags under the blonde's eyes, he decided to try a different, easier avenue. "…you sleeping okay?"

"Uh, y-yeah, of course I am." Naruto said, flinching slightly at the question. Aoi's face came into his mind, the haunting words of Makkura echoing with that a dark laugh that he worried was his own.

Sasuke shoved his hands into his pocket, staring at the ocean behind them. "…I'm not."

Naruto stared at Sasuke, blinking slowly before replying. "You…aren't?"

"No." Sasuke said softly. Turning to Naruto, his face remained impassive as he sighed. "Tell you what, you tell me yours, and I'll tell you mine. Take your time dobe, I'd hate to beat you later because you were sleepy."

Dropping from his spot, Naruto watched with a confused look. "…what the hell just happened?"

**x-x-x**

Several shadowed figures sat silently, watching a screen as the Fuun-hime movie played before them as each observed. Sitting in a regal chair between them all, the figure within it chuckled deeply. "So, she's truly alive."

"And she's made herself into an actress." The voice closest to him said, his eyes gleaming sharply as he frowned at the screen. Rubbing his fingers together gently, a smirk grew on his lips as he spoke. "From our reports, one…_Kakashi_ is with them."

"Oho? So our princess is coming back, and bringing her 'savior' too? Nobody told me our collective birthdays were coming all at once." A female voice said, a wicked gleam in her eyes, though she kept her gaze on the screen before her.

"Oh joy, we've now got a Konoha shinobi going to show up." Another female voice said curtly, growling as she turned from the screen. "I know you have plenty of vengeance planned, but we _do _have other things we need to go through Dotou."

The figure in the chair, the aforementioned Dotou, glanced at her with a flat look. "Do not suppose that I have forgotten you Guren. We can still discuss our business venture with Oto while my shinobi handle this."

"Pfft, you guys are fighting Konoha shinobi?" Another voice chimed in, stepping into the light with a dark scowl. He wore his hiate with happuri beneath it to frame his face, and common Otogakure grey camo as well as a snake patterned scarf; which was both a good and bad thing for the cold. The metal of the happuri would likely give him frostbite in the long run, but the camo actually blended in rather well with the snow. To an observer with a keen eye, his right arm seemed a bit off, though his long sleeves and a glove over his hand. Dead eyes glared at them as he took them in. "…a jonin and three chunin, verse one jonin? You might have a chance, but if you're any kind of pathetic like I've heard, you'll probably get torn apart."

The Yuki shinobi growled at the boy, only remaining where they were due to the laughter of Dotou. "Oh, you Oto shinobi will see our might soon enough. And if our business venture turns out fruitful, we may come to an arrangement where you'll understand it as well."

"Well then, why don't we get started on that?" A third voice said, staying in the shadows as he glared out with his single eye. His clothing and appearance were far more plain, and unassuming. If it weren't for the bandages on his face, and the hiate on his forehead he might've been considered a civilian. "I'm still rather interested in your, armor. Just as I'm certain you are interested in what we have to offer in return."

Nadare, the first man who had spoken, slowly stood. Ignoring the other shinobi in the room, he chuckled. "Well, it seems we should head out. Don't worry, Koyuki-hime will be…home, soon enough."

Dotou nodded, keeping his attention on the Otogakure shinobi. "Good. I expect to hear back from you soon."

Guren nodded her head, ready for the oncoming transactions. Orochimaru had seemed curious about their armor, and she wouldn't fail him. Not only because he wouldn't take any failure well, but because she herself would not tolerate failure. Were she anyone else, she might've been worried that she was with two annoying 'genin' in foreign territory. Then again, Dotou had already shown he was underestimating her and her skill. With a small smirk on her face, she made a motion for him to lead the way.

It would be quite the interesting meeting, she was sure.

**x-x-x**

"Land ho!"

"Oh thank Kami!"

As soon as the boat was close enough, Naruto leapt out of the boat and began kissing the ground as he threw his hands in the air. Watching the excitable boy, Yukie barely raised an eyebrow at his reaction to hearing about land. "Is he always so…excitable?"

"Normally he can be, but I think he's got early cabin fever after being on a boat for so long." Sasuke said, watching with a small amount of amusement. "Seeing nothing but water isn't normal for us. In fact, I think the last time we were surrounded by this much water was when we were in Nami no Kuni. Ah, that was a good mission. Good times."

Yukie glanced back at Sasuke with a blank look. "…are you the only sane one in this group?"

"Hm? No, that belongs to Kakashi-sensei…and he's definitely far more insane then us at times." Sasuke said, glancing at her with a serpent-like smirk. "I just happen to know how to hide it a bit better than the others."

Yukie shrugged, ignoring Sandayuu's flinch at Sasuke's smile. Since she was 'willingly' participating in the movie once more, she got off the boat and got herself ready to play her part. Before getting off himself, Sandayuu paused and stared at Sasuke. Said boy had already pulled back into his 'shell' though, and was once more calm and staring flatly at the man. In his eyes though, he was surprised to find that there was still a steel edge to it hidden beneath it. It was unnerving how easily shinobi could do that, and it caused Sandayuu no small amount of discomfort.

On the snow, Naruto threw his head back and shouted happily. It was really just a glacier, but for Naruto, he was just hoping to get his feet on solid ground that wasn't bobbing with each passing wave while an obstinate and cold hearted woman acted like she cared about what was going on around her. Glancing back, Naruto frowned as he saw two people approaching, Yukie and Sakura; both of whom surprisingly fell into this category after what he'd seen of them on the ship. He'd sworn he knew his teammate better than this, but he'd found himself realizing he knew far less then he'd thought.

Kakashi stood nearby, watching the unveiling set as he scratched his chin. Naruto had been away, as had Sasuke, but seeing how things had gone after their second survival training he'd expected them to have retained that bond. If anything, there was something off, and they weren't as close as before. Or rather, there was something like a jagged wound in their teamwork that he couldn't quite put his finger on yet. He'd have to keep an eye on them for now, just to make sure that things went smoothly.

Speaking of which.

His eyes slowly trailed up to the side of the glacier as the actor who played the evil Mao took his place. Moving his hands down to his kunai pouch, his face slowly morphed into a focused glare. It had been expected for this to take quite a bit longer before _they'd_ show up, but it was just their luck that they'd decided to step in earlier then he'd wanted.

While 'Mao's' voice echoed down from the mountainside, it was quickly drowned out by an explosion just behind him that rocked the glacier. Mao and all the actors were startled, with the shinobi suddenly on edge as they moved quickly into defensive positions around their charge.

All eyes on said explosion, Sandayuu froze as he saw the figures slowly dropping out the smoke. Three shinobi, clad in white armor, with the hiate marked with four marks that signified their allegiance to Yukigakure, the Village Hidden in the snow. The two men and single woman stared down with superior look in their eyes. Sandayuu, the most familiar with the shinobi, recognized them as a cold chill ran up and down his spine. Nadare, Fubuki, and Mizore; Dotou's elite guard and strongest of those under his command.

Naruto slowly cracked his knuckles as he stared up at the three. "…well this is different. I mean, shinobi suddenly popping up in one of our missions? That would be ridiculous."

"Almost as ridiculous as you beating people who outclass you, isn't it dobe?" Sasuke said, eyeing the three with something close to amusement in his eyes.

"Will you two focus please? Enemy shinobi, kind of staring us down you know." Sakura said through grit teeth as she looked for any sign of weakness between the three.

"We've come for you…Koyuki-hime." Nadare said, staring straight at Yukie. Turning to Mizore, he gave a quick nod in her direction. Following the silent order, the man hopped slightly in place, whipping a snowboard beneath his feet as he began making his way down the mountain towards them. Taking the same sign, Fubuki unveiled hidden wings on the back of her armor, quickly taking to the air to give her comrade a sort of pincer movement on the shinobi as well as Koyuki.

Watching the two race down, Naruto and Sakura both paused before reacting, as they heard what would for the longest time remain as the strangest thing they'd ever heard Sasuke say.

Eyes staring at the oncoming threats, he chuckled almost possessively as he rubbed his hands together. "You know, I don't care who you guys take…I just want that board."

Staring at him silently, Naruto slowly slapped his face while Sakura tried not to gawk like a fish out of water.

"Time and place teme." Naruto muttered.

Sasuke glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. "Oh really? Does that mean if I call dibs I can try to get the board?"

Naruto stared at him, actually stunned for a moment before shrugging. "Sure, go ahead."

To their surprise, Sasuke clenched a fist in victory; almost looking like he was about to do a fist pump, but then stopped halfway. "Sweet. I call the board dude."

"I call the flying lady." Sakura quickly cut in, not wanting to be left behind to guard Yukie/Koyuki.

"I – aw man, Sakura-chan! I wanted to fight the flying chick! Well, I guess that leaves me with…" Naruto paused, seeing a dark blur racing up the side of the mountain to face off against their final opponent. "Damn it Kakashi-sensei…ugh, I'll stay back."

Clapping his hands together as small sparks began arching over his body, he grinned in a feral manner. "Alright team, you've picked your man. Move out!"

* * *

AN: …my friends in D&D have corrupted me and I regret nothing!

What I mean by that is the final segment. With the way we interact sometimes, we'll just kind of take things and then…roll with it. This usually means that we'll call for someone we want to go after, and then someone else will choose someone else unless it's one enemy. And…let's just say, we are the most dysfunctional groups, which means that they've given me more than a few weird ideas to throw around. Those are mostly saved for Who Walks Among Dragons, and will be a bit more subtle then I'm letting on, but…you'll see.

Anyways~ the two ladies of ice; Koyuki and Sakura…who saw that coming? Yeah. I've got nothing to say to that besides "guess why" seeing how I'm curious how many people will figure it out. (Seeing how people are catching my ideas pretty quick, I'm guessing more people then I think will catch on pretty fast.)

Also, playful/fun Sasuke, and total psycho Zaku are both a bit fun to play around with. I'm really looking forward to throwing those two at each other. Soon...soon~

That should do it for now, remember to review as it allows me to know where I need to throw my praises at. You know who you are Caspian123 and your almost-hitting-the-mark with your reviews!

Next time on Word of Honor; _Powdered Snow._ The first encounter with snow, and the revelation of a few new tricks Team 7's learned.


	46. Powdered Snow

What's this? Another chapter so soon? Clearly my muse is alive and burning with passion. And that burning...might just be me. Um...ooowww~

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the first movie.

* * *

_Chapter 46: Powdered Snow_

Nadare watched his opponent with a smirk as he stared him down. Already, his opponent was showing full force what he had to offer, and he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing on edge in anticipation. Confident, and near certain of his victory, he didn't hesitate to stare into the spiraling eyes of Hatake Kakashi's Sharingan as he spoke. "It's been a long time, Kakashi."

"Not long enough." Kakashi replied, frowning as Nadare seemed to brush off the minor genjutsu he attempted to put on him as he made eye contact. He'd used the tactic years ago when Nadare had tried stopping him from getting Koyuki out of Yuki no Kuni to protect her, and it had been far more successful at the time. Noting that things weren't as they once were ten years ago, he began forming handseals. "Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique)!"

"Hyouton: Haryuu Mouko (Ice Release: Tearing Dragon Fierce Tiger)!" Nadare shouted in return, ice from the glacier around his feet collecting into the form of a giant tiger. With the oncoming dragon-like water rushing towards him, he smirked as his own technique cooled the waters temperature and forced it to freeze, rendering the entire attack pointless.

Glancing casually to the side, he smirked at the team Kakashi had with him, quickly realizing that the way they had reacted was a bit more than the actions of simple comrades. "So, you've taken up a team? Heh, I do hope that they're paying attention, so they can see you fall painfully from this fight."

Kakashi said nothing, continuing his charge until he engaged in a taijutsu brawl with the man. Silently probing for weaknesses in the chakra armor, he was quickly finding that the armor was superior to the armor he'd once seen Nadare wear before. Its increase on taijutsu made him almost even with him, and caused him to face the man with all of his skill to prevent him from getting the upper hand.

Meanwhile, Sasuke and Sakura had taken off from their positions, each with their target in mind as they raced across the frozen tundra. Sasuke's lips were curled upwards in excitement, with his eyes sharp. Sakura on the other hand was a blank slate; focused, calculating, and in some ways scary to watch as she rolled her wrists, several shuriken slipping between her fingers as she chased her aerial opponent. Naruto, despite having no one to fight, was staring regardless, increasing his awareness of everything around him to ensure that he could protect Yukie.

Racing towards his quickly approaching opponent, Sasuke's smirk never wavered as the two bore down on each other in a game of chicken. The larger, clearly heavier foe held multiple advantages in this game including the high ground. This didn't disturb Sasuke in the slightest as he barreled forwards, black eyes narrowing as he increased his speed slightly and lowered himself closer to the ground.

Once he was close enough, the young man pushed himself up and over Mizore in a flying leap that meant he cleared the man with just hairs to spare. Mizore, not expecting him to jump, glanced back at Sasuke with a raised brow. His mind didn't quite pick up the red flag that would've warned him that the boy likely wasn't a fool to leave just a single person between them and their target, and it cost him. When he finally did return his gaze to Koyuki, Sasuke smirked and yanked back on the wires he'd kept hidden in his hands and had wrapped around Mizore when he'd leapt over him. Said wires were wrapped mainly around his legs, as he'd laid them there when he'd ducked low.

With a shout of shock, Mizore lost his balance and flew into the air. Rolling in the snow, the man growled as he bounced to his feet and whirled around to face Sasuke. A poor choice, as Sasuke was far from one to simply wait around, and his turning to face him allowed Mizore to come face to face with Sasuke's knee.

"Ha!" Sasuke shouted, hoping back and grabbed the board on Mizore's feet. Groaning softly, he rolled his eyes as he realized that the board was attached by chakra. Hopping back, his hands few through a set of hand seals with his signature jutsu. "Katon! Goukakyuu no jutsu (Fire Release: Grand Fireball Technique)!"

Mizore frowned, bending his knees so that the board touched the ground and focused. A blast of snow exploded from around the back of the board, propelling him around in a circle to give himself momentum to get to his feet before using the propulsion to launch himself out of the fireball's range. His armor may deflect chakra, but he was far from dumb enough to believe that he could take the heat for too long.

Sasuke watched the man whip out from ground position to moving quickly away from him with a flat stare. Slowly, he pointed at him. "…okay, now you're teasing me."

Mizore, not understanding the strange obsession Sasuke was having with his board, nor caring, spun on the board and raced back towards Koyuki. He wasn't quite sure where to focus his attention, Sasuke or Koyuki, so he focused on his objective. Focusing his arm towards her, he launched a hand-like appendage attached to a long cable at high speeds in an attempt to capture her and get out as quickly as they could. To his misfortune, Naruto blurred right in front of the fist and caught it with a smirk.

"Sasuke, he's fair game now." Naruto said, whipping the wire around as he tried to pull him closer to him. Mizore growled in reply, whipping his board to force himself away from the boy.

"Oi!" Mizore flinched as he ducked under another strike aimed for his head. As he swung his right arm at Sasuke, he noticed an odd feeling in his arm which threw off his aim and almost caused him to be pulled off his feet. Glaring at Naruto, he noticed several small sparks arching over his skin. "Naruto, he's mine dang it all!"

"Little brats." Mizore growled, forcing more chakra into the board to pull himself away from Naruto. He would not be overpowered by some nameless loudmouthed blond boy from Konoha.

To his surprise, Naruto shrugged and let go of his arm as he ignored the man's flailing to regain balance as he turned to Sasuke. "Fine, just keep him away from us, alright? You're making yourself look bad teme."

"Oh, and I suppose _you_ would've done better?" Sasuke shouted back, already on his way to put himself between the two again before charging.

Naruto sighed, eyes staying on the fighting for a second before he glanced back at Yukie. She was staring into space, completely shocked by what was going on around her. She turned somewhat when Sandayuu called her name, but if nothing else it caused her to grip her head and start shouting some nonsense about not returning to snow.

"_To late for that."_ He thought as the glanced back at the fighting. Frowning, he felt another presence poke him in the back of his mind. _"Uh…Kamina? What's up?"_

"_Ah, hey Naruto."_ Kamina said, both startling and confusing Naruto. _"Just letting you know, your girl there ain't going to move much for a little bit. You might want to keep that other dude from touching her for a bit, just saying."_

"…_why?"_

"_Serious traumatic flashbacks don't just _happen_ to people believe it or not." _Kamina lectured. While Naruto would've questioned the timing of this lesson, he quickly realized it was rather important with the next words._ "It's likely she has had something bad happen to her in the past. If she truly has shell shock, she may lash out at the man if he tries to do anything…well stupid."_

"Don't touch her!" Naruto shouted, getting Sandayuu to freeze up, as well as some of the crew members who were stunned into silence. Glaring at them and flaring a bit of intent, he pointed to the ship. "Run. Now!"

All those within hearing range quickly turned tail and ran, except for the filming crew who were busy filming the fighting around them. Ignoring the bravery of the men and women around him, he kneeled down in front of her and stared at her with a gentle look. Her breathing was coming in short breaths, and she was shaking violently with the distressing and violent actions around her.

"…hey." He whispered quietly, trying to get her to look at him. "What's wrong?"

"…I won't go back." She shouted, thrashing in place. Sandayuu turned back to them with a pained look, but Naruto's sharp glare caused him to flinch and stay put. "No one can make me go back to snow. There is no spring…no…no spring…"

"Okay. What do you need? How can I help?" Naruto said calmly, silently very happy that he had two to four people in his head who were _far_ more patient then he normally was. If they weren't silently coaxing him to remain calm, and to focus. Seeing her reaction not changing much, he sighed. "Hey, stay with me. Breathe slowly…look at me…please…"

Yukie slowly looked up at him, eyes staring at Naruto. She couldn't believe he was so…calm. The hyperactive child she'd blinded in an alley, who'd had cabin fever after only being on the boat for a few days, and been all around annoying did not match up with the calm soldier in front of her. If she didn't know him from before, she'd have sworn she was kneeling in front of someone twice his age. Slowly, she found herself breathing slower and slower, calming down.

An explosion rocked next to them, causing her to flinch and all but Naruto quickly made a cough to bring her back to focusing on him. "I'm right here. Look at me…"

"…okay." She whispered.

As Naruto was attempting to calm Yukie down, Sakura was trying very hard not to roll her eyes at the explosive the winged woman had dropped near her. Running as quickly as she could, one would be surprised to note that Sakura was actually far faster than anyone had ever seen her run before, keeping up with her opponent despite her aerial advantage and diverse ranged attacks. While her ranged jutsu were limited, she'd found to her displeasure that her genjutsu's were completely shrugged off despite the skill she had developed in it.

It had become quite clear early on that both of them were on opposite spectrums of fighting styles. Fubuki was a ninjutsu specialist, using her flight to allow her to keep her distance while simultaneously dropping explosives to further dissuade pursuers. Sakura on the other hand, was a genjutsu user of ever increasing quality, and after having spent time with Kakashi, her taijutsu was nothing to joke about. She hadn't needed to use it during their rematch with Kakashi, so if either of her teammates were watching they were likely in shock at just how _fast_ she was. She was no 'Lee without weight's' speed, but she was more than fast enough to be able to keep up with both her teammates; Sasuke naturally, and Naruto with his sokusensokketsu no jutsu (blitzkrieg technique) active. She couldn't get all the way up to their speed without sacrificing peripheral vision, but with her sharp mind and lacking a necessity for many over the top jutsu it didn't handicap her much. Yet.

For now though, the two were in an annoying stalemate. Fubuki was a skilled ninjutsu user, but the moment her feet left the snow her main arsenal was taken from her. Contrary to some people's belief, the shinobi of Yuki no Kuni did not possess the Hyouton bloodline, but rather had learned to utilize their natural elements. No one there had the ability to create ice element chakra, but they could certainly _shape_ the ice and snow into forms that could be managed. Thus, no snow, no jutsu. Whether Sakura actually knew this or not eluded Fubuki, but she knew if she didn't keep up the assault regardless she would wind up making this weakness of hers a glaring sign for her and then she'd be unable to take down her teammates once _they_ were armed with this knowledge as well.

Glancing back at the pink haired nuisance – not that the pink hair was a bad thing seeing how _she_ had pink hair as well, she scowled at the girl's flat look as she kept up with the pursuit. The girl wasn't rattled by the explosions in the slightest, and with her hands running through more seals she scoffed. She'd felt the genjutsu's the girl attempted to use on her, but her chakra armor pulsated through her to cancel out the foreign chakra quickly so she barely noticed the change. She did however notice the whistling of the near misses of another shuriken being thrown at her.

Smirking down at her, she finally snapped at her. "Come on, this _can't_ be all you have! Throw something else at me already Konoha-inu, I'm getting bored up here!"

Sakura didn't flinch at the remark, eyes slowly darting at something behind Fubuki as she suddenly stopped in mid step and darted off up the glacier. Fubuki raised an eyebrow as she noticed that Sakura seemed to be darting around the ice in what seemed to be a random manner. When she got close to being on level with her, Fubuki's eyes widened slightly as she noticed that there was a small smile on the girl's face. Before she could completely realize what was going on, Sakura whipped around and threw a salvo of shuiken; a rather large handful of shuriken considering – ah, that's what she'd been doing, collecting the shuriken she'd thrown earlier.

"Cleaver girl." Fubuki muttered, quickly retracting her wings to drop under the shuriken. Landing on her feet, she smirked as she forms hand seals. "Hyouton: Tsubame Fubuki no jutsu (Ice Release: Swallow Snow Storm Technique)!"

Sakura stared down at her, face staring blankly down as she watched the swiftly forming flying needles shaped like miniature birds flying swiftly at her. Fubuki blinked at how nonchalant she seemed to be taking the oncoming attack. Then, she disappeared from her sight. Blinking in surprise, she winced when she realized that she'd given up her high ground advantage to use ninjutsu, and having forgotten just how fast she could glide at times she miscalculated just how fast Sakura was.

Right up until Sakura's fist became firmly lodged in her stomach.

Fubuki was rather glad that the girl was as strong as she was when she went flying away from her, as she did _not_ want another hit like that. It wasn't bone shattering, but it was strong enough that if she'd taken another one or two she might've been knocked out. Highly trained reflexes allowed her to reopen her wings in mid fall, quickly giving her distance from Sakura. It was unfortunately also away from their target as well.

Sakura, staring after her, shook her head and frowned. While she could chase her down again, but glancing back at where Naruto was, she had a feeling that she'd better keep an eye on them more closely seeing how Naruto didn't really have his attention on anything other than Yukie. Or was it Koyuki? She'd noted who'd the shinobi had spoken to when they'd shown up, but it didn't quite click in her mind _why_ they were calling her Koyuki…hime. A princess of some kind? Naruto would flip knowing he was protecting a princess of some sort.

She'd have to ask Kakashi for more information later.

Glancing to where Sasuke was dancing around Mizore, trying to knock him over repeatedly, but having little results for the time being. Apparently Mizore had learned not to underestimate Sasuke as much, and was resisting more efficiently. Unfortunately this did nothing to deter the ever vigilant Sasuke from attempting as many tricks, and even a few of Naruto's tricks, to get Mizore to be thrown off. It seemed he was _really_ invested in getting that board from the guy for whatever reason, and Sakura had to fight her inner knee-jerk reaction to giggle at how childish Sasuke was reacting to it.

"No, focus." Sakura muttered, taking a deep breath and quickly refocusing.

Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet began shaking violently. Glancing to where the quake seemed to be originating from, she gawked at the sight before her. Two large creatures she'd never seen before emerged from the sea and slammed into each other and began cracking the glacier. Snapping her head back to the others, she darted to where Naruto was and gripped his shoulder. Not saying anything, Naruto grabbed Yukie/Koyuki's hand and lead her back to the ship.

Sasuke, stunned by the shaking, nearly pouted as he stared at Mizore as he turned tail and ran to where his teammates were heading. "…you win this round strange snow man. But I'll be back, and I will get that board." One eye twitching in what someone familiar with him would put as equal with him throwing his hands in the air, he took a shaky breath. "I really hope we meet them again now. Then again, it's not like he could hear me over – oh right, sinking glacier, impending doom, gotta move now."

All three of them barely noticed their sensei following after them as he pulled his hiate down and glanced back. They were out of danger now, but it was going to be quite dangerous with the Yuki shinobi after them. Glancing back to his charges, a small smile crossed his face. Where it any other time, in any other place, he might've been worried. Would he have doubted their abilities, no. Would he have second-guessed what may have happened, he couldn't afford to. But he would have worried for their safety and hoped that they'd get through okay. Now though, after seeing two of them reach chunin, and knowing Sakura's improvement under his tutelage, he was _certain_ that it wasn't them who needed to worry.

He almost pitied any Yuki shinobi that came across them.

**x-x-x**

Sandayuu rubbed his hands together as he attempted to keep warm in the depths of the ship. Staring at the far wall, he slowly leaned back and sighed as he took in what had happened. He was lucky, very lucky that Kakashi was chosen for the mission; it was likely he volunteered, but he didn't care to read much into it. Having someone familiar with the territory, even if only rudimentary, was better than having someone coming in blind with their fist half-cocked to swing and miss the point of all of this.

Revolution. He, and many others in Yuki no Kuni, had been preparing themselves for Koyuki's return with he himself going out of his way to find her. And he had. He'd found her and managed to get to a position where he was close to her. He was her confidant, and her friend…in an obscure way. She didn't quite act like she cared about anyone though, so it felt like he could be considered more of a 'friend' then some others might've seemed. And with his friends in the filming industry, he was finding their approval of what was going on to be really helpful to his cause.

Pausing in thought, he slowly turned to his door as he felt a presence standing there. He didn't often close it, wanting easy access for the other members of the filming crew so that he and others could interact and he could help or be called to film more of the movie. That being said, the company standing in the doorway wasn't who they were expecting.

"Can I come in?" Naruto asked, looking a bit sheepish.

Sandayuu flinched, remembering the anger on the boy's face just a while before. Nodding, he glanced away as he waited for the boy to come in. There was a strange awkwardness, with neither seeming willing to look at the other and neither quite sure what to say to the other for several minutes. Then, to his surprise, Naruto spoke first.

"I'm sorry."

Blinking, Sandayuu's head snapped towards the boy. "W-what? Why are you saying that? I –"

Naruto shook his head and held up his hands defensively. "Oi, oi let me explain." Naruto said hastily, taking a deep breath as he tried to steady himself.

Sandayuu leaned forward, observing the boy more carefully. He had dismissed the boy much like everyone else on the boat likely had, as the boy…really didn't appear to make much of himself in their eyes. Sure he was a shinobi, but beyond that none of them could see how he'd gotten there. His teammate usually picked on him, he often seemed lost in his own little world, or was slowly going crazy from being on the ship for longer then he'd ever been before. The other boy had seemed a bit more trigger happy at times, but his eyes had an edge that even the civilians around him could see; disregarding the fact that all of them could notice things like that from having attempted to imitate that with their acting or seen others showcase the skill.

Sakura though…he honestly found himself at a loss. Much like Kakashi, she seemed to be in the background; not making much noise, or drawing attention unless she was hitting Naruto. Of all the things they knew about her, that was it. She interacted with other crew members occasionally, but for the most part just seemed to be shadowing various people and then would pop up merrily somewhere else to help her teammate taste the deck of the ship again.

Noting Naruto's continual discomfort, he suddenly could understand a bit of that as well. When your _teammate_ is constantly hitting you for every little thing you say, you tend to think over your words a bit more. Sandayuu paused on that thought for a second as he tried to remember what Naruto had done to be hit. Surprisingly, he once more drew a blank. This time though, it was partly due to Sakura not making herself known until she hit him or wanted to, and Naruto's behavior being the kind that most just ignored because it was easier to deal with that way. Inwardly, he wanted to smack his head against something hard and groan; he'd overlooked way too much on the boat alone, which made him worried about what he may have missed in his _other_ plans.

"I just…" Naruto said, breaking his thoughts and getting his attention again as he finally spoke. "I didn't mean to – no wait, yes I did. Okay, let me try that again. I…okay screw it." Dropping tack, Naruto crossed his arms and shook his head. "I shouldn't have yelled at you when you on the beach. You just wanted to help, and you are someone close to Yukie-chan –"

"Koyuki-hime." Sandayuu corrected absentmindedly. He soon flinched when he remembered that Naruto didn't care about that right now, but _did_ care that he was trying to do something nice for him and was being interrupted.

"…you're close Koyuki-hime." He said slowly, taking a deep breath. A real princess that he needed to protect; if he wasn't working through emotional baggage, he'd almost say it was a dream come true. "But…she didn't seem all that happy with you either. The way she was yelling at you, screaming her head off and clearly dealing with her shell shock was…well scary really."

Sandayuu raised an eyebrow at that. "Shell shock?"

Naruto waved his hand in a confused manner. "I don't know. All I know is, she was freaking out, and you weren't helping." Sandayuu flinched, which forced Naruto to quickly backtrack. "That doesn't mean it was your fault! It just…you weren't the person she needed right then. Plus, you were freaking out too when the shinobi showed up. I mean, it's like you knew them or something."

An awkward silence fell between them at this statement. Sandayuu coughed lightly, which made Naruto slowly feel a bead of sweat running down his head from embarrassment.

"…you know who they are…don't you?" Sandayuu nodded slowly, looking somewhat ashamed. Naruto, in a moment of clarity, slowly rubbed his chin. Leaning forwards, his thoughtful expression slowly turned into a feral grin. "Alright then. Tell me more about them."

**x-x-x**

Fubuki's eye slowly twitched as she began maintenance on her armor. With the battle that had just happened, it was common practice among those who used the armor to make sure that the suits weren't too badly damaged and could be worn again immediately into battle. Those who didn't generally ended up as death fodder, or if they were caught ended up getting the armor taken from them. Fubuki, a seasoned practitioner of the armor, was no fool in this.

That being said…

"Wow, you guys got beat by the Konoha shinobi? Jeez, you suck."

Try as she might, she couldn't understand _why_ Dotou had allowed this. Of all the things he could do, why would he allow the Oto shinobi to not only get a chance to study the armor, but watch as they did maintenance on it? And for that matter, why did she get the over the top one that was almost more bloodthirsty then Dotou was for power?

Turning to him again, she scowled. "You would do well to not underestimate Yuki shinobi _boy_. What we did there was far more than simply a failed mission. In fact, it was a roaring success."

"Oh?" Zaku said disinterestedly. Leaning against the wall on the far side of her room, he stared at her silently. After that moment's silence, he made a 'go on' motion with his hand seeing how she apparently needed some encouragement to explain.

While she was loath to tell anyone, it wasn't that much of a 'secret' as it was so it wouldn't hurt to tell him. "Yuki shinobi tactics state that when engaging an opponent one can never be too careful. We can go all out if we must, but we should save a jutsu or two just in case so that we can deal with them during our second hit."

This caught Zaku's attention enough for him to raise an eyebrow at what she'd said. "Wait, wait…second hit? Are you telling me you guys are so sure that you're going to lose that you actually plan for a _second_ hit?" He laughed loudly at that, slowly patting his knee before shaking his head. "Ah, that'd be like Orochimaru planning for a _second_ invasion right after he'd planned his first one. After you've hit them, they know you're coming. They know you'll be back, and their nerves won't go nearly as haywire as during the first hit."

"Clearly whoever taught you didn't teach you every tactic then." Fubuki stated, getting a small rise out of Zaku. Despite his slowly clenching and unclenching fist, he looked curious enough to let her go on. "The tactic I'm referring to, at least by Yuki shinobi, is called powder snow."

"…the hell?"

"Do you know what kind of snow that is?" Fubuki asked, refocusing on her armor as she talked.

Zaku blinked at the woman and resisted the urge to palm his face. "No. No I don't. I live in a place called Ta no Kuni (Land of Rice Fields), what the hell do you think?"

"Well then, I'll teach you a bit. Powder snow is pretty much like it sounds. Soft, light, and really can be among the first snow you see after snowfall." Picking up a piece of her wing, she glanced at the boy with her smirk widening. "It's also easy to gather together and compact into different shapes, like snowballs and the like. Are you starting to see where this is going?"

Zaku crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow slowly as his mind went to work. While the problem seemed straightforward, he couldn't help but feel that he was missing the key piece. Tapping his foot as he thought it over, he paused before his look became one of understanding as the pieces began falling into place. "You used light attacks to get them to reveal who they were so that you'd have information for the next fight."

"Now you're getting it." Fubuki replied, slipping the piece back in securely. "That's why we didn't just grab the princess right then. If we did, and we left them alive, they'd be on us like bloodhounds. We wouldn't know nearly as much about them as we'd like, they could out maneuver us, and we'd be dead."

Zaku slowly rubbed his right shoulder slowly, his eyes having a somewhat far off look in his eyes as he remembered his fight with the bug user from Konoha. "Yeah, or you could know exactly what to expect, and just end up getting outmatched regardless."

Fubuki paused, turning to smirk at Zaku. "Aw, did the little Oto shinobi have a bad run in with another shinobi before? And here I thought you were all big and bad. I guess you _are_ as pathetic as I thought you –"

She froze in midsentence, suddenly finding Zaku right up in her face with his left hand close to her eyes. Practically going cross-eyed, she noticed the small hole in the center of his hand and flinched as she quickly ducked under his arm. Just as she did so, a high pressure blast shot out of the hole in his hand, the sound making her grit her teeth as she almost expected him to turn and use it on her again.

"…you're pretty slow for a high ranked Yuki shinobi." Zaku taunted, getting a startled look from Fubuki as he put his hand in his pocket and slowly took a few steps back. "And here I thought you'd actually have the balls to wait. Did you think I'd attack you? I'm not dumb or stupid. I know how much both sides want this to work out, and attacking you and hurting you would hurt all this. But~ since you did."

Zaku pointed up, encouraging her to follow his finger. Glancing back, Fubuki winces as she saw the bits of damage the 'small' blast had made. It was enough to figure that at point blank Zaku very well could have taken her head off. It was a humbling, and humiliating moment for her.

"You told me not to underestimate Yuki shinobi. I see you don't practice what you preach. Next time, don't underestimate Oto shinobi." Zaku said, his smirk never leaving his face. Clearly bored with all that was going on, he made his way to leave but then paused, glancing over his shoulder with a smirk. "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention something."

Pulling off his glove that hid his right hand, he aimed it at the wall by the door so she couldn't see what he'd revealed only to have a hole as big as he was tall blasted through it. Her mouth nearly hit the floor at the sudden display of power; it was unexpected and rather disturbing to think that a boy who wasn't far from herself in age was able to do something like that. All the while though, she had to bite back the urge to stab the boy for putting a _large hole_ in her room.

As Zaku stepped out through the hole, he grinned back at her. "Be glad I chose my left hand to aim at you the first time. If it'd been my right hand…well, I'm still learning to get control over it, so I wouldn't bet on there being all that much of you left." Giving her a dismissing wave, he yawned as he walked off. "Later Yuki chick."

Fubuki stared in silence, the whole of the scene playing before her again in her minds eyes. This boy, even without chakra armor, had managed to do something that made her hope to never be on the receiving end of that…arm. Weapon. Thing. And she, armor-less, and rather exposed, had been completely on the defensive. Glancing down at her armor, her fingers brushed against it gently as she flatly stared down at it.

Maybe she needed to change things up a bit…after this mission was over.

* * *

AN: Pinball with the characters in the beginning, and three characters development that's surprising for me since I wasn't expecting the third one to pop up and say "let me out to have some fun!" Oh well, another fun chapter to write overall.

Hehehe, and soon, you will see inside the mind of the one we call Sakura…and what has changed her so. MWAHAHAHA~! Okay I think the burning is getting to my brain, I best get medical attention after this...maybe.

Sasuke...Naruto...why are you two so fun to write? You two are making me remember all the fun stuff I had planned for this movie arc, and by the log it'll be fun for me! You two are doing well. I may actually reward you with that board Sasuke. Just remember to stay good, and we'll see.

Also...lemon's won't be in Word of Honor. However, now might be a good time to see the opinions of the fans, just to know for when the Shippuden segment that'll be known as...actually it's to soon to spoil the new name, but yeah. Anyways, vote on/tell me what you'd like to have me write in detail for the Shippuden segment of this story.

Next time on Word of Honor; _My Young Apprentice._ Some explanation that has nothing to do with Sith Lords, and everything to do with two characters unveiling what you've missed.


	47. My Young Apprentice

...I'm totally going to lose track of things at this rate, but my muse is making up for lost time. ONWARDS!

However, before we get to the meat of the story, I have something new because...I felt my reviewers deserved it.

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**Omake: A Review to an Author**

Some days, I find myself completely drowned in my ideas. Having an inability to shut my mind down like "normal" people means that I'm constantly thinking of something. Fanfics like Word of Honor and Who Walks Among Dragons (both of which start with W…weird) are constantly running through my head, and future events are constantly playing through it and being shaped ahead of time.

Still, some times I can feel discouraged like anyone else. Writing all this and posting it can sometimes seem daunting. And then…my regulars review. I see their reactions and I can't help myself. Usually I end up playing "Angel With a Shotgun" by The Cab, or "O Fortuna" the Piano Guys version as I write, imagining my reviewers as the chorus singers for the first (also that song is awesome, check it out sometime).

So to all those who review, thank you for making my day every time you let me know where I need to improve, or where I've done something good.

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So,without further stalling, here's Word of Honor!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the first Naruto movie. If I did...I'd probably verbatim certain parts, and would be close to even more copyright stuff. Thank goodness I don't then, am I right?

Not at all, but you like me anyways.

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_Chapter 47: My Young Apprentice_

Koyuki bowed her head, keeping her eyes away from the man standing before her. She'd known from the moment she'd seen his shadow on the ship, like a phantom from the past come back to haunt her. He'd been her warning before all this had gone down, and had his role been different she likely would've broken down much earlier than the glacier. Still, his very presence brought back memories, none of which she ever wished to remember again.

Yet still he stood there, like her director, sitting back and waiting for her to play her part after calling 'action', knowing she had little choice but to follow that call to performance. A small part of her wanted to lie and see if she could get around it, but she wasn't sure what skills the man had. Could he detect her lies? Would he threaten her if he thought she was leading him on? If she asked questions would she be shot down?

The last question gave her pause, bringing something else to her mind. Naruto. The boy was an enigma in her mind, and yet that look he'd given her on the hillside was…entrancing to her. It was like she'd stared at a pool full of kids that created ripples throughout, and then was suddenly silent. To her surprise, when she'd seen the bottom, the person staring back wasn't at all who she'd imagined it would be. And she wanted to know more.

"…who is Uzumaki Naruto." She asked, working taken slowly and deliberately. Whether he answered or not, it wouldn't do for her to betray just how curious she actually was.

Kakashi stared at her with his single eye showing, no sign of confusion or other emotion evident. Instead, he was passive and borderline pleasant to her, his tone even as he answered her question without pause. "He is one of my students, and a great many other things. A better question might be, what do you want to know about him?"

This caused her to inwardly seethe. She could see the trap, the way he was wording it to test the waters. Despite this, as she looked into his eyes she saw little. He wasn't baiting her to react, to reveal anything, or to say anything unbecoming. All she could see underneath his outward appearance was a small trace of curiosity.

Relenting, she made a motion to the wall where they both knew the outside world lay hidden with little but boards between them. "He didn't show anything on the ship, or before that, and then…suddenly he's leading his team, bantering with them like they were _playing_ with their opponents, and…" She had to take a deep breath to center herself as she remembered her little meltdown. "Brought enough sense back to me that I could return to the ship on my own two feet. What…kind of person is he?"

Kakashi leaned against the wall adjacent to her as he hummed softly. Koyuki wished she could be in his head when he did this, so that she could know what kind of emotions ran through his head when he was supposedly composed and centered like this. She knew he was hiding things, and that there were likely many things he knew that he simply wouldn't say. However, he was also her bodyguard, and if one were to protect their charge there needed to be something akin to a bond between them to signify trust; it's why most shinobi had a bit more difficulty being hired for missions like this, other than Konoha with their reputable 'nice guy' shinobi.

Snapping out of her thoughts, she focused on Kakashi as he softly spoke. "Naruto isn't what you'd expect." He began, his eyes lost in the distance as he thought over all of what he knew of Naruto. Truth was, he was still learning and had much to learn about the boy himself. "You turn your back for a moment, and the loud mouthed child you were talking to becomes a combat-ready chunin. He's fought all but hell itself, and yet…he's the most bright eyed bushy tailed kid you could meet. Honest, trusting, and more trustworthy then most shinobi you'll meet. Outspoken, but humble enough to know he's far from good at everything under the sun. Unpredictable, and more cunning then you'd ever guess when you first meet him, Naruto…is Naruto."

Koyuki nodded slowly, though the last bit did get a small eye twitch. "I see."

Kakashi's eyes turned upwards in a smile. "Mm, you think so now." Pushing himself off the wall, Kakashi gently patted Koyuki on the shoulder as she stared up at him. "Just wait till you get to know him better. That's the only way you'll get to really understand what kind of a man he is. Of course, I'd keep what he did on the glacier in mind too, seeing how if he didn't react…"

He let his words hang in the air, reminding Koyuki of how much danger she'd been in. Slowly nodding, she let her gaze fall to the floor. She was confused, annoyed, intrigued, and angry at how lost she felt with everything happening at the same time. She just wished she could have one thing handled at a time so that she could focus. She needed time…and she felt that she was running out of that all too quickly.

Kakashi sighed, turning to leave the room. Pausing before closing the door, he gave one last glance to the woman as she sat silently in thought. Gone was the innocent little optimist who believed in her father's words of spring. In her place was a woman who was jaded and unrefined, but with room for growth. Maybe, just maybe, Naruto's actions would begin breaking off her dark outlook and let her reveal the woman her father always wanted her to be.

And speaking of things that needed refining, as Kakashi slowly closed the door he glanced to the side. Making a motion towards his room almost absentmindedly, he made his way to said room as though what he'd just done was the most typical thing for him to do.

Were anyone around, they'd hear the sound of a momentary scramble to catch up, and then only the sound of Kakashi's footsteps.

**x-x-x**

In Kakashi's room, the jonin sighed. Letting his door linger open a moment longer then he normally would, he glanced towards his bed with a far off look before shaking it slowly. Walking over to the desk the director had happily given him, he pulled the chair over until it was even with the foot of the bed. Slowly easing himself into the seat, he sat for a moment and allowed himself a moment to think before doing anything.

While he knew more of what was coming then he let on, it wasn't something he wanted to go over to harshly or to lightly. It had to be handled with a general's command, but a kinder touch as well. His little soldiers were growing up, but the one in his thoughts was struggling even still. Were it anyone else, or had he not gotten himself attached to said student, he might've just spoken and been done with it, but it wasn't that easy. This was someone he'd invested personal time into, cultivating, and encouraging till the skill they'd developed together had blown his earliest projections out of the water.

This…was his apprentice.

"Sakura, you can show yourself now."

There was a second of silence before the chakra weaved and laced around Sakura's invisible form shimmered and fell apart like blossoms falling apart to reveal her sitting on his bed. The jutsu flitted about into the air, which under normal use would make an opponent pause to wonder if they were in a genjutsu and attempt to release it which would buy her more time to strike. Inwardly, he thought it was a rather neat trick with her chakra manipulation as well, but knew that now was neither the time nor place to bring up anything but what he knew needed to be talked about.

Looking her over, he took her in with an appraising look. She still wore the shin and arm bracers, but for his mission she'd taken to wearing a skintight long-sleeved top, with similar pants under her dress. Her hiate, which had held its red hue for quite some time, now had a black cloth that was unveiled like a bandana to slightly cover the back of her hair and help hide it. Her bangs still framed her face, something she'd kept from what Ino had inspired her to do as a child if he remembered right from some of their talks, and it brought out her sharp eyes which focused on him expectantly.

Were there not many, _many_ differences, he would've sworn he saw a shadow of his youth sitting before him.

Sighing softly, he leaned back and tried to smile. "Relax Sakura. This isn't a mission briefing. We just need to talk, alright?"

Sakura flinched slightly, but nodded nonetheless. Taking a deep breath, she slowly let herself become more pleasant and less battle-ready. The fighting with the Yuki shinobi brought out her inner soldier more then she'd expected, which was why she was taking note of Kakashi and Koyuki's conversation. That and…no, she didn't need to think about that now. Kakashi was all business then; it was time for a casual conversation now.

"What is it Kakashi-sensei?" She asked, finally relaxed enough to allow herself to be pleasant and cheerful again. Noticing the way he was relaxed had helped as well, but then she noticed that he wasn't quite as relaxed as she'd expected. Tensing slightly, she leaned forward in concern. "Is something wrong?"

"…I don't know." Kakashi said softly, his eye never leaving hers. "I keep telling myself that things are, but…I know something's off."

Sakura's battle senses were suddenly hovering over her, with her ready to dive back into them at any second. "What is it? Is it something with the mission?'

"I already told you it's not about the mission." Kakashi tried to smile, but his heart wasn't in it. Even his flippant wave seemed a bit off, not quite as cheery as it normally might be. "It's about you."

"…me?" Battle senses were replaced by worry as her mind raced with what may have happened recently to cause Kakashi to talk like this. "What's going on? Did I do something wrong? If I did I can fix it, I promise!"

"It's not your fault per se Sakura. If anything, I'm at fault." Kakashi said softly. Sakura reeled back in shock, but said nothing as he continued. "I should've realized that bringing my team back together wouldn't be as easy as seeing the three of you step back into the places you once were in. You've grown, all of you. But..."

Sakura's mind raced with the possibilities, trying to piece together was he was trying to say. It wasn't just about her then, it was about the team. The team dynamic? It had seemed okay to her, everyone had fallen back into their old roles...which made her pause. If it wasn't that simple, what was underneath that? She'd found the first part, but what was hidden deeper still? Closing her eyes, she concentrated her mind on the task at hand, going over everything she could.

Kakashi's pause had been thinking over the wording of what he was to say next, but it turned into a stop when he realized how intently Sakura was going over his dilemma now. It would do her good to figure it out on her own, and for her to say it herself. He'd quickly seen how training her had been an interesting twist rather than teaching someone like Sasuke or Naruto. Both boys were rather hands on learners, which meant he'd likely want to show them, or have them do things. The only time they'd appreciate a guiding hand was when they were thinking something through, taking cues and bouncing off them for more ideas.

Sakura had been different to teach. After the first reunion, Sakura had taken what he'd taught and expanded even more upon it. Genjutsu, taijutsu, several ninjutsu, and the theory and methods that could be utilized put into practice all rolled into one. She needed more of a guiding hand in her physical side, but the practical mind of hers soaked up information like a sponge. When he'd asked her questions, she'd thrown back the answered with textbook speed, which had caught him off guard a bit. When he'd asked more obscure questions, she'd taken a bit more time to think it through, but would in the end figure it out and be better off in their next lesson. If anything, she'd grown by leaps and bounds on her own, with just a bit of help and hard work thrown in.

"…are you saying that…we're trying to use our old team dynamic, but because we've grown up we aren't the same as we were before?" Sakura said slowly, eyes slowly opening to look into Kakashi's. His face was impassive, yet a small look in his eyes told her she hadn't quite dug deep enough into it. Frowning, she thought about it further. After a moment, one part of what he'd said suddenly stood out like a glaring sign. "Unless, I'm the only one?"

Kakashi wished it didn't have to sound so harsh, but it was true. Naruto and Sasuke had gotten into the swing of things, adapting to the changes they both showed, as well as attempting to do the same with Sakura. Sasuke had it easier, what with Sakura's fading affection for the boy. Naruto however, had clearly had a harder time with things. With only one meeting since the Chunin Exams, Sakura hadn't gotten over the Naruto she knew, the one she would hit and berate for simple mistakes. And with some of his behavior from before, she almost reflexively returned to her old habits to knock him around in an attempt to beat common sense into him.

Sakura's eyes softened, a look of defeat crossing her face as her head dropped. "…I see."

The defeat in her voice was clear, and it left Kakashi feeling out of his element. Once more he wasn't sure what he could do; with the boys he could step in and give some light advice, but Sakura wasn't going to just take the advice and think on it. She would hear it, but she wouldn't internalize it, make it her own and grow with it. To do that, he needed her to think it through. He needed to work with an idea, to help her while keeping himself from inhibiting her progress.

"Sakura." He said softly, getting her to slowly glance up at him. "Do you remember all the training we've done? How much you've changed with each session we've gone through?"

Sakura nodded, thinking of the different training she'd gone through with him. From climbing up a cliff, sparing with the vastly superior Kakashi, being taught various genjutsu to keep her sharp, as well as going through several rigorous chakra building exercises. She'd also found herself fighting to stay awake more often than not seeing how much she'd done. It had been a struggle to get through it, but she'd managed to do it, and she could confidently say that she could knock her old self around with little difficulty.

"Now, did you notice Sasuke, and what he was like when you met them again?"

Sasuke had a gleam in his eyes, one she'd never seen before. They'd glimmered softly, with something akin to playfulness, yet with the hidden fire that was always smoldering behind his onyx eyes. Or rather, his hidden fire was flickering slowly larger and stronger than she'd ever seen it. His skill she couldn't attest to, but the skills she'd seen were enough to make her realize that he hadn't slacked off at all during their training.

"And Naruto…?"

Naruto…was an enigma. Rather than sticking with the group, Naruto had raced off after the woman – their future charge – which left them clueless to his skill. While he'd brought her back, he'd still been rubbing his eyes as he'd done so as he'd stumbled around with her unconscious over his shoulders. Constantly spacing out, or bemoaning the sea for being so _boring_, he hadn't seemed to have grown up at all. It was like the old days, only more annoying since she thought he knew better.

"…and me?"

Sakura's head snapped up. "Sensei?"

"Think about it Sakura. What's the one thing you're missing from all of this?" Kakashi said, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. He didn't know if the push would help or harm her progress at the moment, but he wanted to see her brush back what blinded her to what was truly underneath the underneath in this scenario.

Biting her lip, she closed her eyes again and thought harder about everything she'd gone through. Where had his improvement happened? Had he been holding back during their spars? During their training? Had she just been too blind to notice how much _he_ had changed? She'd spent almost every waking moment she could training with and without him when not taking missions so that she could improve herself. So when had he improved? What was the connection? How could she –

She stiffened significantly, her mind stopping everything and backing up twice as fast. He hadn't asked how Sasuke and Naruto had improved. He'd asked what they'd been like when she'd met up with them again. Attitude, mannerisms. While that reflected their training and many other things, she'd focused so much on the training portion as well as their quirks that she'd nearly forgotten what she was supposed to look for in Kakashi.

Taking up that line of thought, her mind raced with far more ease. Kakashi had been rather normal all things considering. He'd been only slightly late, which was more so due to the director and Sandayuu taking up his time rather than his own fault this time; high ranked missions meant he focused and was attentive when he needed to be. Taking this thought, she delved deeper with it, thinking of how Kakashi had been on the boat. Slowly, painfully so once the pieces began clicking together to form the final picture she'd been missing about Naruto, her eyes opened and she looked at Kakashi with a broken expression.

"…you've been yourself the whole time, haven't you?" She whispered, the full picture nearly in sight to her.

Kakashi slowly nodded, letting the revelation sink in. While it should have been obvious that he was being himself, with the partial excitement from being with her old team again she'd over looked the fact that Kakashi hadn't gone full on Anbu on them and dropped any form of the aloof person he could be. He was relaxed while they were on the boat, but while he had gotten on guard he'd not quite lost his normal attitude until the actual fighting began.

Which brought her back to Naruto, the only teammate she'd failed to acknowledge in growth. Looking at him now, with the lens shifted to look at him as a person rather than a soldier. He was certainly entitled to a bit of childishness; they _were_ still young, which meant that it wasn't uncommon for them to act out at times. In fact, there were some jonin who'd obviously held onto some things they'd had in their youth, like Gai…though he was an extreme case. But Naruto was a recently promoted chunin! So why…

Rubbing her forehead, she groaned softly as the final piece fell into place. "I'm so…childish."

Smiling at her quiet admission, Kakashi gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "Maybe, but I expected that. You're young, but you learn so fast that you sometimes overlook your own youth." Seeing the shadow of his younger self in her defeated look, far younger than his shinobi days, he sighed. "Don't rush through it. I've seen how that can be, and you've got plenty of time to enjoy it while you continue to grow."

"But…they're already so far ahead of me." Sakura said shakily. She remembered how even before the Chunin Exams Sasuke and Naruto had been leaving her in the dust as they all but raced ahead of her. "They're chunin, they're strong…how can I keep up if I'm 'enjoying' myself?"

"Like I said, you don't need to rush it." Kakashi said softly, gently squeezing her shoulder to help her keep her gaze on him. "You've come so far, you'll catch them at this rate. But…if you don't slow down, you might out run them and find yourself lost and alone…like I once did."

Sakura flinched, having heard some of the vague tales Kakashi would tell. He never gave her the full story of anything he'd done, but she got the basic picture; he'd been a strong child, who'd lost everything and everyone to soon. He'd gotten some friends like Gai, Asuma, and Kurenai, but even then he'd kept them at a distance. She silently wondered who had gotten close to him, close enough he worried about them like he did her. It made her feel special, wanted, needed even.

"Alright Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura said, resisting the urge to hug him. Childish she may be, but even so she'd do what she could to help Kakashi see that she could be mature, and that he could trust her. She'd prove to him now that she could do learn, listen, and understand.

"Good." Kakashi said with a smile. Hearing a couple of shouts, followed by a thud from down the hall, Kakashi chuckled softly. "Sounds like something's going on with our boys."

Sakura rolled her eyes, playfully punching Kakashi on the shoulder. "Well then, let's go make sure they aren't killing each other already."

One day he'd rely on her for support like this. And one day…she'd be ready.

**x-x-x**

In his room several minutes before said commotion, Sasuke was sitting on his bed meditating. He'd been nervous about the cursed seal for a while, but when he'd relaxed and focused on his surroundings he'd been fine. In fact, it was almost like his mind was more open than been in a while.

And it had been _very_ annoying.

After having someone's mind basically brushing against his own, he'd gotten rather accustomed to the feeling, and having it removed had made him somewhat twitchy and nervous for the first day. Thankfully, he'd found that his annoying 'angel/devil on his shoulder' wasn't fully gone; just further away.

Concentrating, he focused on the 'bridge' the seal had made, making sure not to activate the seal as he did so. Log forbid Kakashi find him calling on the seal at any point after he'd been told not to use it. They all had enough on their plate with the Yuki shinobi coming their way without mistrust coming his way.

On the other side of the bridge, he felt a small pulse call across it. He slowly smiled, the visual of a bridge feeling accurate seeing how the pulse was like a shout from the distance. Still, with practice, they'd gotten pretty good and closing that distance with a bit of chakra and control.

"_Hey Anko. What's up?"_ Sasuke 'shouted', feeling the way her chakra responded by perking up and calling back.

"_I'm bored~ When you get back we need to figure out what kind of fun stuff we can do together."_ Anko whined, sending a mental image of her pouting and walking down the streets of Konoha. Sasuke chuckled, getting an indignant shout in return. _"Hey, it's not that funny!"_

"_Oh come on, it's pretty funny."_ Sasuke replied, an image of himself shaking his head at her actions. Feeling a sudden impishness, Sasuke blinked as he felt Anko trying to focus on a particular image. When the image took shape, Sasuke's hand snapped to his nose as his eyes twitched. _"Anko you said you wouldn't do that!"_

He could feel her snicker, and had to resist the urge to slap his face. _"Pfft, yeah right. You know you like what you see. I look sexy~ without my trenchcoat~"_

"…_at least it wasn't the other image." _Sasuke mentally muttered, freezing when he felt the impishness rise. _"Anko not now."_

"_Why? It's not like __**I'm**__ the one on a mission right now. I'm not the one trying to keep up appearances either big boy."_

Sasuke rolled his eyes, wondering if anyone else had…no wait, that was a stupid thought. No one else _had_ something like this, so no one else had to deal with something like this on a daily basis. He swore if he met that person, he was going to go to a bar and get so drunk they passed out and then figure out how to handle it.

"Ah-choo!"

Blinking at the strange sound of a loud sneeze from Naruto down the hall, Sasuke returned his focus to the woman teasing him from miles away. _"Anko seriously, I needed some advice, and I figured you could help. But if you can't, I could always…"_

There was a small silence, no pulsing chakra no sent thoughts. When that moment was up, Anko giggled. _"You can't think of any way to threaten me, can you?"_

"…_I'm working on it."_ Sasuke grumbled.

"_Haha! I win."_

"_For now. You know I'll get the upper hand later."_

"_Oh? And when's th…eh?"_

Sasuke smirked as he mentally recreated the battle with the Yuki shinobi. He'd played around enough to see parts of Sakura's fight to throw some of that in too, but he focused on what he'd seen for as that was what he really knew.

When he'd finished the battle, Anko remained silent for a moment before giving her input. _"…the armor's different then what was reported last time we were able to speak with anyone in __Yukigakure no Sato (Village Hidden in the Snow)__. That __**was**__ ten years ago, but even then the armors all looked more streamlined rather than clunky, and that dude's taijutsu wasn't…horrific. Gai would probably have the man doing all kinds of forms and exercises to fix his form, but overall the power was behind his punches."_

"_He was slow though."_ Sasuke replied, remembering how little he'd needed to even think about his Sharingan. _"The only thing that gave him a boost was that board…and Kami help him, I'm going to get it away from him soon."_

"_You've taken some of my lessons to heart I'm guessing?"_ Anko happily said, realizing quite quickly why he was so excited about the board despite the clear lack of usage he was likely to get outside of Yuki no Kuni.

"_Yeah, you've taught me well."_ Sasuke said, a mischievous look on his face as he rubbed his hands together. _"Soon, I will get that board, and when I figure out how to use it…ehehehe."_

His small chuckle grew slowly, soon becoming rancorous laughter in his head. It didn't help that Anko was soon joining him, making it sound grander, and louder in his mind. It was almost like they were in synch, and nothing could throw them off.

"Hey teme I had an idea!" Naruto shouted as he slammed his door open.

"What the – OH CRAP!" Sasuke shouted, falling backwards off his bed and crashed onto the floor of the room in shock. From the other side of the 'bridge', he felt a strong increase in embaressment.

Naruto, oblivious to the conversation he'd interrupted, glanced around in confusion. "…what'd I miss?"

**x-x-x**

In Konoha, Anko darted into an alley and hid herself. Her heart was pounding like a jackhammer from the startled shout Sasuke had let out, and even more so by the shout _she'd_ let slip before she'd all but disappeared. It would be just like her luck for something like that to happen while she was walking down the streets looking completely normal. Then again, that alone might've tipped people off that something was off.

Seconds later, the shouting of "YOUTH" from two spandex wearing individuals raced through the streets at high speeds…on their hands. Surprisingly, not startling many people as her shout had already prepared them somewhat, which most were rather grateful for as the Gai and Lee combo was still something that haunted some people's nightmares. Most weren't ready to see Lee out of the hospital again so soon, but then the boy _was_ an overachiever, and bounced back faster than most. Or, at the very least, was very good at hiding the pain under layers and layers of his flames of youth.

Anko would later thank the dynamic green duo as the civilians and shinobi alike had brushed off her yelp as some kind of forewarning of the impending silliness approaching. They wouldn't get it, but accepted her thanks regardless, making them honorary members of the "Don't sick my snakes on" list. A small list, and a small fact that the men would come to appreciate later on.

**x-x-x**

Back with Sasuke, he slowly lifted his head over the bed, glaring kunai, shuriken, and all manner of deadly weapons at the blond with his eyes. He wasn't going to forget this any time soon, but he could put it aside seeing how Naruto had said something…terrifying. "Naruto, could you repeat that?"

"Huh? Oh!" Naruto grinned, rubbing his hands together. "Well, you see, I just talked with Sandayuu. Turns out the guy knows a bit about the chakra armor, and the shinobi we fought."

Raising an eyebrow, Sasuke crossed his arms and rested his chin on them as he listened closer. "Oh really now? That's…something different. How the hell does he know about the armor? Or the shinobi for that matter?" It didn't make sense for a second, the adrenaline not helping his deductive skills for a second before he calmed himself enough to remember. "Oh wait, he was part of Yuki no Kuni. Of course he'd have an idea of what they could do…sorta."

Naruto nodded, grinning widely. "Yeah, and it's more than we had before, so I figured we should go over it."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, scoffing at Naruto. "Really? So we're going to take the advice from a civilian who's never had shinobi training or any kind of military training, and then make a plan based around that? That's really not the best –"

"It involves explosives."

"Tell me more." Sasuke tented his hands, a small eagerness shining through as he listened closer.

Naruto cackled as Sakura and Kakashi approached, getting both to glance to each other and shrug. "Oi, Naruto."

Hearing Sakura call for him, he snapped to attention and froze. "…yes?"

Sakura, trying to ignore his reaction, slowly crossed her arms as she stared at him. "…what's this plan involving explosives?"

Realizing that he was not getting hit yet, he motioned for them all to gather in the room. Having all three of them sitting around him as his captive audience, he rubbed his hands together as his cackling returned; though it was more sedated now, he didn't need to taste the floor anymore today thank you.

"Alright, here's my plan…"

* * *

AN: Hahahahaha!

…what? Did you think I was going to tell you this plan? Goodness no! That's being saved for later. And hopefully, it'll either surprise you or not. Getting you to expect things and then still be surprised when I choose it is half the fun after all.

If anyone didn't like Sakura being the center piece of this chapter…good for you. I like your opinions, and hope you'll let me know more (see above Omake as to why). It was also needed to show that she's growing up still, and is developing…if slowly. This is because…well, she's not going to be all that featured throughout a lot of my stuff, but she _is _a main character regardless. Development must be made known dang it!

Also, Sasuke. I…I love my reviewers and how much they love Sasuke's obsession with this board. I'll explain _why_ he's obsessed with it soon, but…dang it all it's made me excited. The scene here _does_ have a purpose beyond showing more Funny!Sasuke…but you'll see that in…two? Or was it three? Several arcs from now, you'll see why. Promise

Oh no, I made a promise. I am bound by my promises and must keep them~ I've made a grave mistake~!

Oh well, till next time! Speaking of which.

Next time on Word of Honor; _Run Away Train_. For those who've seen the movie, you'll get my version of the event, with a few new things to keep things interesting.


	48. Runaway Train

Alright! Here's the next chapter, so I'll save all miscellaneous info for the AN. For now, let's have some fun!

Disclaimer: I don't own the movie or Naruto. If I did, I'd find a way to actually work the movies into the continuity. Seriously, where does this thing fit in with the continuity of - you all don't question it do you? Sigh. I'll just go put my severe ADHD to good use on my stories.

* * *

_Chapter 48: Runaway Train_

"Where did she go?!"

"Hurry, we're supposed to start shooting in ten!"

"Did anyone see her leave?"

"Where could she possibly have gone?"

Naruto sat near the group of actors, staring down at them as they all searched around frantically. He was resisting the urge to hit his head against the nearby trees repeatedly, if only barely, as he heard them shouting and putting a big hole in his plan. It had been going _perfectly_ and then Koyuki had just up and disappeared from under their noses.

How the hell did she even do that? They had Kakashi, who had proven capable of tracking when needed, and yet she still slipped away! Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke weren't the best handlers, but they were still shinobi and it was insulting that she'd managed to slip away without their notice.

"…I'm going to go look for her." Naruto said after he'd managed to calm down enough to speak without grinding his teeth together.

"I'll come with." Sakura said, eyes looking towards the forest with a wary look as she spun a kunai in her hands. "I'm not need to stick around the group for now anyways, so we might as well use the coverage we have."

"…I can become a team of my own without much problems." Naruto muttered, while he too stared into the forest. Getting no reply, Naruto sighed and glanced back at the group. "Is that alright Kakashi-sensei?"

"Go ahead. Sasuke and I will hold down the fort here." Kakashi said, with Sasuke taking the time to weave through the actors and attempt to keep them calm so that they wouldn't do anything rash.

Naruto and Sakura glanced at each other, nodding to one another before taking off into the trees. Of the two, Sakura had the better chance of finding her, but Naruto was more than able to hold his own in this kind of situation. Mostly though, he was simply following, allowing Sakura to show her improved tracking skills, while he watched and kept an eye out on things ahead.

Taking in the scenery, Naruto had to admit that Yuki no Kuni was a beautiful country. The mountains around them were covered with snow, with just enough 'color' from the rocks they covered to keep it from being droll. The sun was hidden behind the clouds overhead, none of which looked to threatening or inviting. It was snowing, which didn't bother him nearly as much as he might've thought. Snow, more so than rain, was a rarity in Hi no Kuni (The Land of Fire), which was likely why he was finding himself entranced by the weather, as well as the stunning scenery. It was radiant, with a subtle dash of mystery and elegance.

Naruto paused at that, mentally making a note to kick Han'ishiki in the face later. Only he would use words he couldn't quite remember the meaning to, and it drove him crazy when they'd pop up sometimes.

**:: You know, I bet Hinata would like somewhere like this. ::**

"…_are you trying to get on my good side again?"_ Naruto muttered inwardly, eye twitching slightly.

**:: Maybe, but you know it's true. ::**

"_Yeah, but now it not the time for sightseeing._" Naruto closed his eyes and took a slow breath to balance himself out. _"Besides, a country in the middle of a civil war isn't the best place for any kind of sightseeing. And besides, I –"_

"…you're lost in thought again."

Naruto flinched, glancing to Sakura who raised an eyebrow at Naruto's behavior. Scratching the back of his head, he shrugged. "Sorry, I was just taking in the scenery."

"While we're looking for the princess?" Sakura asked. Pausing, she slowly shook her head. "Can't believe I actually get to say that."

"Yeah." Naruto chuckled, unsure of whether he should find what he said funny, or be somber due to the fact that Sakura was right about his focus. "I pro –"

Sakura blinked as she saw Naruto's mouth snap shut suddenly in midsentence. Normally she'd let something like this slide and be done with it, but… "Okay, what the heck was that?"

"What was what?" Naruto looked away trying to play it off. It had been months since he'd been so impulsive, and yet back with one of his old friends – Sakura no less – he'd almost fallen right back into his old habit of making promises on the fly. He'd already seen how well _that_ had worked out for him, and he did _not_ want to have that happen again.

"Don't play dumb with me Naruto. I didn't miss that." Sakura growled, glaring at Naruto.

Naruto stared back at with as blank stare as he could muster, finding himself confused and nervously shifting under Sakura's gaze. He'd never seen her quite this focused in her anger, like she would truly hurt him should he hold back rather than simply hit him and be done with it. While unnerving, he'd felt killing intent from far more dangerous individuals and wasn't as fazed as he could've been. "Drop it Sakura…we don't have time for this."

"…whatever." Sakura said with a shake of her head, turning back to looking at to the tracks. As she did, she froze up as her eyes darted around. "Uh…Naruto?"

"What?"

"I can't find the tracks."

Naruto slowly turned his head to the ground, suddenly noting that the snow that was falling around them had started to cover up the tracks. Blinking he looked behind them and searched there to see if he could find anything. His eyes darted around, searching for the tracks near frantically. Seeing nothing, he slowly turned to Sakura. Sakura chuckled nervously, glancing at Naruto.

"…uh-oh."

**x-x-x**

Koyuki walked with an ever slowing gait as far away from her movie group. She was tired of hearing Sandayuu's constant talk of how she was their salvation. How she was some big thing. How she was the hope for Yuki no Kuni. She was tired of it all, and she needed to get away.

She'd never want to come back. It had too many painful memories; her father's death, and getting thrown out of the country just to name a few of the big ones. And yet here she was, trudging through the snow to 'escape' her 'captors'. She knew she would be able to outrun the shinobi forever, but even just a moment alone, if she could hide herself for long enough…maybe she could just let it all go and be done with it all.

Her career was never anything she'd held onto, though it did give her something to focus on when she felt there was little else for her, and she knew that beyond that there was nothing she had to go back to. So, feeling she'd gotten far enough away, she allowed herself to collapse on the ground. Closing her eyes, she awaited sleep, and the cold that came with it.

**x-x-x**

"Oh come on! This can_not_ be happening!" Naruto shouted, gripping his head as he searched for Koyuki's trail.

"Well _sorry_ Naruto, Kakashi-sensei was going to reward me with some more in depth tracking techniques _after_ this mission as a reward for a job well done." Sakura growled back, using some of the tracking techniques she knew. Having needed to focus on her taijutsu and genjutsu over the training, her tracking was coming along far slower, and she hadn't learned how to increase her senses quite yet to smell or hear people out. "And I don't have access to his summons, so…what the hell do you want me to do huh? Magically gain sensor abilities of something?"

Naruto shook his head, leaning against the tree. "No, you're right. I'm just…argh, the first time I actually get to make a plan that isn't in the heat of battle, and it's already falling apart. I mean, I know no plan survives contact with the enemy, but Koyuki-hime _isn't an enemy_. Why kami-sama? Why do you hate me so?!" Naruto shouted, groaning as he slammed a fist into the nearby tree. After a moment of shaking, he was greeted by snow falling on his head and was nearly buried in it before he shivered it off. "…damn it all…"

Sakura, keeping Kakashi's words in mind, suddenly found herself realizing that Naruto was far from the old Naruto like he'd said. He acted like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, and that this one mistake was going to make him lose everything. It was rather sobering for her to realize. "Naruto, relax. It's not your fault."

"It was my plan, and…" Naruto said, shaking his head. "I…I know it's not my fault. I mean what can I do to sense people? Say 'I promise that I'll be able to find anyone I've ever met before' when asked?" Naruto flinched, a familiar tingling sensation running up his spine from his gut. _"No. No no no…no! NO! NO! I WAS KIDDING DAMN IT!"_

As he was having his inner meltdown, a small tugging pressure-like sensation suddenly began building between his eyes. Not quite fighting it, his head turned until it was facing a specific direction and felt like it was being pulled towards somewhere ahead of them. Blinking, Naruto's mind (Han'ishiki) began piecing things together and slapping him on the back of the head.

"…holy…"

"Naruto, you don't need to go that far." Sakura said, a soft smile on her face as she was reminded of how Naruto used to make promises like that. The way he'd said it was like he used to, but betrayed the maturity he'd developed in the way he'd remembered how silly it sounded. Although the way he turned her head away from her was a bit strange. "…Naruto? You okay?"

Naruto slowly turned to Sakura, his eyes wide as he felt the sensation poking him back to where he had been looking. "…okay, don't be mad…but I think I know where Koyuki-hime's at."

Sakura, torn between being confused by first or last part of what he'd just said, decided the former wasn't that important…for now. "What do you mean you know where she is?"

"Just…trust me. Please?" Naruto said, looking a bit worried as he glanced back to where the pressure had been 'pulling' him earlier. Once more, it returned, and he found himself resisting the urge to palm his face.

"…_Naruto, you are the most idiotic genius of our clan. Stumbling onto clan secrets and bumbling into new and unknown abilities…" _Kamina said from his mind. Naruto could feel him shaking his head and wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. _"I'm so proud of you."_

Thankfully, Sakura was less overdramatic about it all. "Alright, lead the way."

Taking off, and in a way, literally following his nose, Naruto found the sensation relaxing the closer he got. Within a few minutes, the sensation pulled his head down, and the two of them found themselves looking down at Koyuki's collapsed form.

Sakura and Naruto just stared for a moment. Sakura looking at Naruto with confusion, and Naruto staring at Koyuki in confusion. When he finally realized that he was the center of Sakura's attention, he gave her a small shake of his head. "We'll…talk about it later, okay? Go back to the group and tell them I'm bringing her back."

"But…" Sakura glanced between the two, clear worry on her face. Like Naruto, she knew that now wasn't the time or place to discuss how Naruto had broken nearly every belief she'd thought of him in that small timeframe. Mission first, mind breaking confusion later. "Why don't we just bring her back together?"

"Because she needs to cool off." Naruto replied, remembering her freak out from before. "It…might be alright for us both to take her back, but we need to let them know she's alright too. Plus, we don't need to crowd her right now. It won't help her."

Sakura mulled it over, thinking over what he'd just said. Once more, Naruto was showing her how much she'd missed since he'd become a chunin. Logically it made sense, tactically it made sense, and for Koyuki it would hopefully help her due to how she was reacting lately. Nodding slowly, she put her hand on his shoulder. He froze, glancing at her, as though fearing that she would hit him again. Instead, she smiled and nodded to him. "Alright. I'll meet you back with the production crew. Be careful, and try to be back as soon as you can, okay?"

Naruto slowly grinned, nodding back to her. "Can do. I'll see you soon."

With a gentle pat on the back, Sakura turned and made her way back. Naruto watched her go, smiling a bit at the confidence she'd displayed in him. It was random and from out of left field, but he didn't care. It made him feel happy to know she trusted him now.

Sighing, he turned to Koyuki and hopped down and landed right next to her. Kneeling next to her, he shook his head before picking her up.

It was going to be an interesting walk back.

**x-x-x**

There was a warmth she'd been feeling for a while now, as well as an awkwardness in the way she was positioned, and a small shifting every so often. She didn't dare open her eyes, knowing that if she did she'd be quite disappointed with what she saw. With how her luck was, and with how everything was going down around her, she wasn't dead and she was being taken somewhere she didn't want to go.

It didn't matter if it was with the filming crew or her uncle; both weren't places she wanted to go.

"Oi, you awake yet, or you gonna nap the whole time?"

At the sound of the voice, she found herself opening her eyes with a bit of surprise. She'd expected Kakashi to come after her. It would make sense, seeing how he had history with her and whatnot. Calming herself, she relaxed and let him continue carrying her. "…why do you bother?"

"Well, I figured I could either be bored or I could try talking to you." Naruto said jokingly, glancing back at her. The look in his eyes was calm, gentle and compassionate in a way. "You feeling better now?"

"No." She said flatly, keeping her eyes on him with curiosity and a hint of annoyance. "Why do you keep saving me?"

Naruto shrugged, focusing forward and continuing his slow gait. "…I need to."

Koyuki frowned at that, allowing herself to glance around to take in her surroundings. It was a dark tunnel, one which she remembered hearing about from her father's old projects. She never remembered it getting completed, which she mentally chalked up as just another one of his failures as she'd grown up. Remembering how it had been snowing when she'd fallen down, she figured that he'd taken her inside to avoid them both getting buried in snow. Thoughtful, but pointless in her mind.

Sighing, she returned her attention to Naruto. The boy continued to make her question him, only now she felt there was something wrong with what he'd just said. He'd been calm when he'd spoken with her before, but now he was nervous. Every so often she could feel him twitch, a subtle and near unnoticeable sign that he was nervous about something. She didn't quite care though, so she decided to press him so that her curiosity could be sated.

"What do you mean, 'I need to'? Doesn't sound like you're doing it for this mission." She frowned as she stared at his far off expression. "Sounds like you're being as selfish as I am."

"…" Naruto said nothing, his head dropping a bit as he kept going.

Koyuki frowned, her expression becoming a glare as she processed what he'd said. "So it is for a selfish reason." Scoffing at him, she shook her head. "I should've known. All you shinobi think you're something special, think that what you go through is greater then what we civilian-types have to deal with. Well I'll have you know –"

"I won't let you die when I can stop it." Naruto said softly, cutting her off as she stopped to hear what he was saying. "I've seen…death. I've caused it. And…and you think that I want to see more? To see you walk off and die in the snow?"

Koyuki wanted to scoff at him, wanted to drop off him and tell him what she thought of his lies. He was so young, so inexperienced in the world and he couldn't possibly understand what she'd been through in her life. As her mouth opened to do so though, he looked at her. With haunted eyes, and an expression that was more suited for a man walking towards the gallows rather than a kid, he slowly gave her a small smile. Any sort of fighting words she had were helplessly slaughtered and left to hang as her mouth slowly closed.

Letting him look forward again, she decided to focus on a different problem. "Is it just me, or is it getting hotter in here?"

Naruto shrugged, naturally feeling warmer by using chakra. He hadn't noticed anything weird as of yet, but now that she pointed it out, it _was_ unusually warm for a place of ice. Even if they were in a tunnel, made of stone with glowing blue metal that ran along the ground…

"Um, Koyuki?" Naruto said slowly, eying the metal with a sudden apprehension. "…was that there before?"

Koyuki glanced around, eventually noticing them around as well. Her mind raced for a second, trying to remember where she'd seen metal like that before. It was like tracks, from one of her father's old projects. If that was true, that meant the project was completed. And this particular project meant that they were likely in grave peril. "No." Leaning against him, she shook her head. "It does mean we're going to die soon…"

"What are you…" Naruto flinched, hearing a grating sound of metal grating against metal as something came down the tunnel. From the sound of it, it was approaching very, very quickly. "Oh no."

With a sharp whistle, the metal behemoth raced around the corner and began bearing down on them with incredible speed. Naruto, not one to be taken completely off guard, was already moving as fast as he could away from the machine. It did not help that the woman he was currently running with kept yelling about how they weren't going to make it, but then he was always good at doing the impossible.

The train was practically on Naruto's heels, mere feet away from him as he ran. Koyuki could almost feel the presence of the train bearing down on them like a hungry demon prepared to slaughter and maim her and Naruto. She couldn't imagine how he was even able to keep from being squashed when it first rounded the corner, let alone how he was keeping ahead of it for this long so far.

After a half a minute of having her yell in his ear, he finally turned his head to glare at her. "Now is _not_ the time!"

"It doesn't matter, we're going to die!" She shouted, her tight grip on him betraying her fear. Clearly being crushed by a train wasn't her ideal way of dying in any way, shape, or form. "Now you'll see, you'll see why fighting this is pointless!"

Naruto snorted, small flecks of electricity arching across his face as his hair began standing on edge. "No, _you'll_ see why you should really stop underestimating me and start believing me!"

She glanced at him, blinking at the electricity for a moment before their speed began picking up. Rapidly. _Very_ rapidly. She was actually beginning to notice the oppressive feeling of the train lessen, when she wasn't trying to figure out what to make of the world around her as she could no longer make out anything more than what was directly in front of her.

Within seconds the world exploded into blinding light before Naruto slowed down. Glancing around, he bounced slightly as he quickly debated. "Left of right. Left or right. Screw it, right it is!"

Racing off to the right, Naruto – in his normal undignified manner – dropped Koyuki and began digging into the snow to build up a very fragile wall to allow himself and Koyuki to hide behind. Halfway through his digging, he paused and glanced at the train as it pulled out of the tunnel and began slowing down in front of them.

"…aw crap. This is not good, this is not good at all." Naruto muttered. This wasn't ideal for his plan, especially since Koyuki was here, and his team wasn't anywhere he could find yet.

As the train hissed in its now idle state, two of the doors opened and a very dignified man stepped out. Koyuki's breath hitched as she looked with trembling eyes at the man before her. "Dotou…"

Seeing Koyuki, Dotou smirked. Opening his arms in what one might call a friendly gesture, he addressed the woman. "Ah, Koyuki. It's been too long since we've last seen each other. Why don't you come here and let your uncle give you a…warm greeting."

"We've already had your 'warm greeting' thank you very much!" Naruto shouted from behind his wall. "Koyuki, get down already."

Dotou raised an eyebrow, unable to see which of the Konoha shinobi it was that was with her. He'd have to tread carefully, unless it was the blond one. He'd clearly shown himself to be a support type by staying back to protect Koyuki. At least, that's what the reports had informed him.

He'd later make it a note to punish them for the misinformation and for the lives that were lost because of it.

Refocusing his attention to the point behind them, his smirk grew as he saw a sight that he'd not only been expecting, but had more than adequately prepared for. "Sandayuu. It's been too long."

"Dotou." Sandayuu stood on the top of the hill, sword in hand as he glared down at the man. Behind him was a perpetual army of men and women who had enlisted in the resistance and could be rallied to battle as quickly as he could get them. It was their time to take back Yuki no Kuni, and Koyuki would witness their dedication to their country. "Your tyrannical rule of our country is going to be put to an end now. We stand united, under Koyuki-hime's banner, and we will not rest until you have been repelled from our lands!"

"Oh?" Dotou eyed them and their weapons idly as he tapped a small device next to him. "Well, seeing how I do not take kindly to such threats, I suppose I'll have to eliminate you now."

"You idiot I told you to _not_ do anything stupid!" Naruto shouted, gripping his head in frustration as yet another curveball was thrown into his plan and blew his plans nearly into the levels only described as FUBAR.

"For Koyuki-hime!" Sandayuu and the group shouted as they raced down the hill.

Koyuki barely had a chance to realize something was off before her legs suddenly were knocked out from under her. With a small grunt, she looked up to see what was happening. From her prone position, she saw the side of one of the train's cars had opened and a strange weapon had positioned itself to aim itself up the hill. With a bit of encouragement from the shinobi on either side of it, a flurry of kunai suddenly launched themselves up the hill. Like a metal hail, or an icy wave of death, the men and women who had once run down the hill with great confidence now found themselves running into kunai that pierced their rather pitifully defensed clothing easily. Their blood began staining the snow red as they fell to the earth. Many were pierced multiple times, even post-mortem, which added to the gruesome effect of what was being done.

Naruto watched as well from his guarded position, each kunai flashing in his sight as another person died. As another person he couldn't protect fell in front of him because he couldn't do anything. Because he wasn't certain of the right action. And now the snow was bathed in the very lives he failed to protect.

Slowly, Naruto felt his emotions building, and something within him stretched thin to the point of snapping.

**x-x-x**

Inside Naruto, Kyuubi slowly raised his head as he felt the sudden change in the boy's mindset. He knew what was coming, he'd felt it once before. Still, that didn't make what was about to happen any easier seeing how he'd have to deal with…_him_.

Light, yet echoed footsteps made their way towards his cage. The Naruto-like form didn't do anything to identify which of the three it was that was coming to speak with him. When Naruto had first pulled this type of tug-of-war combined with near synchronization of their emotions in Nami no Kuni, it had been a bit of a shock to see how the boy's inner form had come before him and demanded his chakra. Shockingly, Naruto hadn't done any kind of training to achieve his power since then. Even when the ever annoying Han'ishiki had shown up again, Naruto had been remarkably distant from using his chakra.

There was one though that was more than eager to speak to him and seek his power.

"Hello again, old fox." Makkura said, near cheerfully.

"**What the hell do you want yami-gaki?"** Kyuubi growled, not enjoying the mere presence of the dark side of Naruto.

Unlike with other hosts, both of his having been women, Naruto had proved to be…different. He had two 'conscious' minds that drew from his chakra; one that was 'good' and one that was 'evil'. Normally he figured that the evil one was the one he enjoyed more because it allowed him to more easily superimpose his will on them and then control them. With Naruto, he'd very quickly realized that it wasn't that easy.

Han'ishiki had come right in and began merging and then separating from the Kyuubi on a random basis. Several times he'd figured that the crazed subconciousness had a death wish, until he found out that the fool had recreated the Bijuu-dama (Tailed Beast Ball), or Imari (Menacing Ball) as it was better known as for the runts use. It was useful and ingenious, but he hadn't enjoyed the fact that it had been more or less stolen from him. Han'ishiki told him all the credit went to him, but still.

Makkura on the other hand…upon their first meeting and from then on, he was as much a wild card as Naruto could ever be. Unlike the 'evil' personas of Miko and Kushina, Makkura lived up to his name by being every dark thought, every dark intent, and every twisted desire Naruto had ever so much as considered. A living embodiment of chaos, but like Naruto it was bound by 'rules' if one could call them that. The main rule being that he had no connection to Naruto under normal circumstances, and wasn't allowed to influence him directly.

Makkura, ever straight to the point, opened his palms towards the cage and made a grasping motion. "Give me your chakra."

This was one such extenuating circumstance.

"**Feh, fooling mortal, you know that playing this game will be fruitless."** The Kyuubi said, already knowing that his chakra was being pulled out of his cage towards Makkura.

"For you, maybe. For me…" Makkura took a deep breath as his body began to be enveloped by the Kyuubi's chakra. "For me…**every moment counts. Every moment...the world will burn for what they've done."**

Even the Kyuubi shivered as the near manic darkness threw back his head and laughed as the power enveloped him completely.

**x-x-x**

Pushing herself up a bit, Koyuki could see Dotou as he looked out over the carnage. There was a hint of a smirk as he viewed the carnage, clearly pleased with how well his plan had worked out. Turning back to the bodies, she saw Sandayuu just barely alive slowly moving towards her. She hesitantly made her way out and knelt next to him. Dotou could wait; a longtime friend was currently dying right in front of her, and she didn't know what to do.

"Koyuki-hime…" Sandayuu said as he stared up at her, a small smile on his face. "I'm sorry…that we were unable to wrestle back control of Yuki no Kuni. Please…don't cry for us…"

"You idiot…" Koyuki whispered, not realizing that she was in fact crying. "I can't cry you still have my tears."

"How tragic." Dotou said, laughing lightly at the scene before him. "As amusing as this all is though, I'm afraid that it's time to –"

"**Die."**

Dotou blinked at the voice, remembering that there was still a shinobi that he needed to take into account. For a second, he turned to the nearest low-ranked shinobi to have them take care of him. However, this idea was crushed and thrown to the side when he heard the sound of crunching metal from the car beside his own. With a sickening rattle, the train rocked violently, causing all on the train to use some chakra to hold themselves in place to keep from being thrown into the walls. A second later, there was a wave of wind as the 'wall' that'd been built up was blasted apart. Realizing the shinobi had begun to move, Dotou peaked out of his car to see what the damage was.

There, bouncing back from the train, was the shinobi. Glowing red, and gripping his head as he leaned back and roared to the heavens in pain, Dotou took assessment of what kind of damage he'd done to the car next to his. Upon doing so, a cold feeling hit him, a fear like he'd never felt before as he realized what the rocking sensation had been.

The car was no longer there.

Opening the door behind him, he looked out over the cliff with wide eyes as he saw the train car falling into the cloud-like mist of the canyon. Before it was enveloped in the mist, he could see on one side a deep, human sized dent in the metal. He knew none of the shinobi on the car and had no attachments to them in the slightest; they weren't elites, therefore he had no reason to care. However, the image of the young shinobi, practically a child, had put a dent in the steel of it and then launched it off the cliff. And from the look of it, he still had more chakra to use to fight with.

"**You…reminded me…"** Naruto muttered, his eyes glowing red with slit pupils as the red chakra died down till all that was left was red electricity arching across him. **"I'm not strong enough, I'm not fast enough, I can't save everyone. But I know what I **_**can**_** do."** Slowly clenching his fist, the electricity began building as Naruto flared an unnaturally high amount of killing intent.

"**I'm going to raise hell and **_**destroy you.**_**"**

* * *

AN: Welp, Kyuubi possessed Naruto is acting up. Dotou is going to be FUBAR…for those who don't know what that is, let's just say…it's accurate.

So~ yeah. Naruto can sense where people are now, and Makkura wants to pull Naruto into a bloodlust to watch Kyuubi destroy things. These are, as far as my notes go, the last major thing Naruto's bloodline can do. I was saving it for now because...how the hell did he find her in the Movie? Seriously, he just kind of...appears and it's just "Oh yeah he can follow people, neat". Um, no. It also reminded me to mention that Sakura _will_ be getting the dog summons...after this mission. Shame they didn't think Koyuki would run away that often. Whoops.

In other news, I've found some notes for a story I call Naruto: Anime's Apart. If you don't know what I'm talking about, look at the prequel. Also, _read it carefully_, as I lay out the main idea behind it. Disney will not be part of it. It's using the Kingdom Hearts _premise,_ but with Naruto going between different anime's. As such, I'd like your help to know what story's I should throw Naruto into, as well as...well, go read it already. That explains it better.

Thanks for reading, and here's to hoping things continue on the up and up!

Next time on Word of Honor; _With A Little Extra Help._ Naruto goes on a rampage, and finds himself needing help calming down in a way he didn't expect.


	49. With a Little Extra Help

First off, thank you everyone who's reviewed, and those who took a peak at Naruto: Anime's Apart. Your input has been noted, and I've gotten several good points as well as good ideas to start working on with each world. In the meantime, enjoy more Word of Honor, courtesy of me!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the 1st movie.

* * *

_Chapter 49: With a Little Extra Help_

Kakashi was no fool. He'd realized that Koyuki had run away shortly after she'd actually left. Likewise, he knew when Sandayuu had run away as well. However, in both cases, he was not perfect. The snow and cold played havoc on his sense of smell which was one of the big tools for tracking he had. He'd summon his dogs, but they were used to the warmer climate as well. It would take some conditioning and getting used to, both of which they didn't have the time for.

Which meant he had to travel with Sasuke and Sakura with the movie crew to follow Sandayuu's tracks by the clear footprints he left. Sakura stated offhand that he left far clearer tracks then Koyuki, which indicated to him that he _wanted_ to get caught. Initially he was suspicious. Then, when he saw where they led to, he felt a small twist in his gut.

The tracks led to a cave, dug into the mountainside, and filled with around a hundred or so people. Most were huddled together for warmth, while others looked out of the cave expectantly. The children's eyes were haunted with hunger, and the adults had a hidden brokenness that few but those who'd encountered great oppression had. Kakashi had seen it during the Third Shinobi War more times than he ever wanted to.

Sasuke and Sakura were almost quick to rush to their aid, but Kakashi held firm and redirected them. They didn't need to wallow in others defeat. Right now, they had their own mission to deal with. When it was all said and done maybe they could help out, do something for them. But in the meantime, they needed to do their part elsewhere. The first part of that though, meant finding Sandayuu. And after talking to a few of the people who weren't shying away the moment they came in, they realized that Sandayuu was a bit more than a simple prop man.

He was a big leader in Yuki no Kuni's revolution.

So, when he'd told them he had brought Koyuki back with him and she needed help, many of the strong and able bodied people who could rally to his call left to find her and confront Dotou. Kakashi inwardly winced, knowing that if one major shinobi popped up with Dotou, they whole group of them would be wrecked. Worse still, was that Yuki no Kuni didn't use normal shinobi weaponry when en masse, which meant he'd need to update his students on what he knew the moment he had the chance. He had only expected them to have to deal with assassins, not with the bulkier artillery specialists of Yukigakure.

When he'd finally gotten them to give the exact location, he raced to where they were, students and surprisingly the movie crew hot on his heels. They took a slightly different route then Sandayuu and his men took, though it was still enough that they were able to make it in a relatively short amount of time. As they approached, Kakashi heard the sound he'd known he couldn't avoid, and his speed slowed as he realized he was too late.

Upon looking down on the scene, he winced at the kunai that had torn through them. He could tell that there were actually a larger portion of them alive then if a skilled shinobi had been trying to kill them with the same amount of kunai, but from the damage they could see one might believe they were all dead. Dotou's words seemed to echo across the blood soaked snow, just as another voice snapped at him and all hell broke loose.

The clear flair of red chakra that Kakashi identified as Naruto all but blinked out of existence before burying itself into one of the train cars. Watching as the shockwave caught up and launched said car into the air, Kakashi found himself coving his mouth in barely concealed shock. "Naruto…that's a bit much."

Knowing that Naruto was more-or-less in control of this Kyuubi-induced moment, he watched and observed to be certain of his student's wellbeing before diving in. While doing so, he, Sasuke and Sakura, the film crew, and a few of the rebels made their way down to the survivors. They had their job to do in saving whoever was alive.

Naruto…was going to be busy distracting the shinobi.

**x-x-x**

They were dead. It was his fault. He'd frozen up when he'd blanked on what weapon the Yukigakure shinobi had at their disposal, and it had cost lives. Lives he could've saved. People he could have helped.

He pushed it all down, forced it all back, and stared vengefully into the eyes of Dotou as he sized him up. The man…was not all he seemed. Although a Daimyo, he had a build that stated he'd had more than enough time to exercise in a way that wasn't typical of most nobles. The fear though, that was real, and that was what he'd expected. But it wasn't enough. Fear was weak, and Naruto was not weak. He was strong, powerful, and wanted blood. He wanted Dotou to be a shaking nervous wreck of terror before he was done.

Now, just how to pull that off…

"F-fire!" Dotou shouted, the Yuki shinobi who were thankfully ignorant of Naruto's physical feat turning the weapons onto Naruto with a fresh batch of kunai.

That would work.

Red lightning arching down his arms and legs, he tilted his head and made a 'come on' motion with his hand. Almost instantly, the kunai began shooting rapid fire in an attempt to kill him off. Had Dotou been rational, he would've thought this a good opportunity as well, seeing how Naruto was clearly in front of Koyuki and any stray kunai would likely hit her if Naruto decided to dodge.

Naruto wasn't nearly as unfocused though. He knew where he stood. If he moved from this spot, someone else's blood would be on his hands. He wouldn't allow that. The only blood that he'd accept would be those who had moments before taken pleasure in slaughtering those that weren't able to stop the inevitable. These shinobi had their chance, and had already sealed their fate.

As the kunai neared him, his already heightened senses and reflexes kicked in. Those who watched from the outside barely saw the blur of motion, and to three it would almost seem as though Naruto suddenly evolved into a Hyuuga. Lightning fast, an unseen streak of energy and motion, Dotou had to wonder what kind of shinobi could do such a thing.

Unfortunately, Naruto wasn't pleased with merely defending. He couldn't be. Which meant that the moment they ran out of ammo they found themselves staring at a rather strange predicament. They needed to reload, but they were staring down Naruto, who was staring back armed to the teeth with every single kunai they had launched at him at his feet, in his hands, or stashed away in some form on his person. They had effectively created an armory of death by their own hands.

"…**nice trick. My turn." **Naruto growled, the red lightning coating several kunai in his hands. Once more, he launched himself into the air and disappeared. The next anyone saw of him they were listening to the sound of metal grating against metal as Naruto cut through the machine and began tearing into the shinobi that had worked it.

"Damn it!" Dotou shouted. Making a few signals, he turned and leapt from his car. Reaching outwards, he was caught by one of the very, _very_ few shinobi who had wings and could catch him so that they could take him to his blimp. Glancing back, he flinched as red eyes met with his own. "Kill it! Kill it now!"

Naruto scowled and spit in Dotou's direction as he ran. He wasn't done yet. There was still so much he could do. However, he heard a noise from behind him and turned to face it warily. For a brief second, his eyes caught his teammates and he nearly relaxed and let the Kyuubi's chakra go. In that same second though, he saw a team of Yuki snowboarders coming down the mountain at high speeds. Gritting his teeth, he launched himself forwards once more and bounded over them.

"Wait, Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, barely catching a glimpse of his teammate as he raced past them. Seeing the Yuki snowboarders, he groaned softly. "…aw crap."

Meanwhile, Naruto was busy bounding through the snow banks and gaining some headway as he made his way to where the reinforcements were heading to their death. He didn't care anymore. Empathy for their plight was beneath him. They worked for his enemy, and his enemy didn't care in the slightest about empathy or pity, so why should he. Faintly, he swore he heard someone shouting at him, but it was distant, like someone trying to yell from underwater. As such, he didn't pay it any mind as his mind took in the distance.

Fifty meters…thirty meters…fifteen meters…impact.

The first snowboarder didn't stand a chance, and the rest soon would wish it had been that simple. Armed with more than enough equipment, Naruto had launched a kunai at the very last second which couldn't be avoided and took the poor man out. Not willing to bother wasting from his new collection, Naruto slammed into the man and gripped his head, flipping over him so that he could face the next person on his feet. Using the man as a bludgeoning weapon, he slammed him into the oncoming shinobi and let them both fly towards an incoming tree. Unlike the first though, he lost his grip on his board and left it in the every willing to use hands of a bloodthirsty Uzumaki Naruto.

Taking the board, he eyed the incoming shinobi with a hint of mirth. They were already dead; he just hadn't taken the time to do it yet. Licking his lips slowly, he faintly tasted blood. Whose it was didn't matter at the moment, all that mattered was that it fueled his rage.

When the first shinobi got to close, the man had his legs taken out by Naruto swinging the board at them and taking them out with a crack. Not willing to stay put, Naruto bounded to a tree and launched off of it, springing towards an unaware member of the motley shinobi force. With a crack to the man's chest with the edge of the board, Naruto scowled as the board snapped in his hands.

"**Useless piece of wood."**Naruto grumbled, expanding his senses out. Only four more left? Well then, he could waste a few good kunai on them. It wasn't like he needed to take them back afterwards anyways. **"Here. A little present from your pals on the train."**

Spinning like an electrified top of doom, Naruto launched the four kunai at high speeds. Were they expecting such lethality, and brutality from the young Konoha shinobi, they might've gotten away or dodged in time. At least, they would if the kunai were normal. With the red lightning amplifying the speed ever so slightly, the kunai pierced through them at unnaturally high speeds, to the point that a couple of them even took a moment to try rushing forwards before their bodies recognized the lethal wounds and they collapsed.

Snorting at the ease of his kills, Naruto turned back to the train. If there had been shinobi there, they had gotten away as quickly as possible. A wise choice. Seeing the blimp, Naruto deadpanned and slowly shook his head. **"Heh, and people say I have a big ego at times."**

As he spoke, a small speck caught his eye. The reason it did so was because it was a rather familiar speck, and it was moving with such precise movements that his mind barely registered something was off before he'd already begun moving.

Fubuki, in the air over the survivors, tried not to smirk as she looked down on them. In the air, fully prepared and fully armed, she was a menace to the unaware and the foolish alike. And all those below her were unaware fools. "This is why you shouldn't underestimate the Yukigakure shinobi."

Dropping her payload, she watched with barely hidden glee as the kunai began their decent. She continued watching, waiting for the surprise inside each one. Or rather, waiting for the small ice-like orb to impact the ground and unleash the chakra powered hell of ice that they had developed.

As her last kunai was released, she felt her hairs standing on edge, as though she was flying near a thundercloud. For a brief second she figured it was just excitement, but quickly realized better. The realization came in the form of a red lightning encased shuriken that struck the orb directly beneath her. Glancing back, she grit her teeth as she realized that several more shuriken were taking out the orbs and keeping them from impacting the ground before being canceled out.

Naruto knew he could never have hit any of the orbs with kunai. They were small, they were barely bigger than the hole in the handle of most kunai, and were moving rapidly to earth. That being said, he couldn't hit them_ with kunai_. Kunai had always seemed to straightforward to him; stab something and voila. Because of its simplicity, he'd gotten more enjoyment out of trying to learn what was clearly the harder of the two to master; shuriken. He'd practiced day in and day out to master the crafty and elaborate art. He'd actually improved his score of hitting from 'just grazing the side' to 'nearly the bulls-eye' as time had progressed. He hadn't needed to get too much further after graduating, but he'd kept himself sharp. With his heightened senses from his Sokusensokketsu (Blitzkrieg), his chances of missing dropped even more.

As the final one was dealt with, Naruto's eyes turned to Fubuki. Realizing she was the next target, she rapidly banked and turned towards the blimp, making her way rapidly back to safety. **"Oh no you don't!"**

Naruto raced through the crowd of people between him and the train. Just before reaching the train he leapt into the air, intent on reaching the blimp or Fubuki and taking one of them down even if he had to go with them. Such focus and intent on his personal objective might've been admirable; however it meant that when he leapt, he missed the wire that was wrapped around his leg.

"**Oof!"** Naruto grunted, finding himself meeting with mother earth far sooner then he'd expected or wanted. Glaring back to the wire, his eyes followed it before the sight of his captor caused him to freeze. **"…Sasuke?"**

"Naruto…what the hell happened to you?" Sasuke muttered, walking to where Naruto lay in the snow.

"**None of your concern."** Naruto growled, getting himself back up to resume the chase as Sasuke gave the wire another sharp yank to pull his legs out from under him. Glaring darkly up at Sasuke, Naruto slowly sat up. **"Don't do that."**

"Or what?" Sasuke snapped, finally standing over him. "You'll hurt me? Kill me? Look around Naruto. Look at what I should be afraid of."

Naruto paused, slowly looking around. With the adrenaline slowly dying down, Naruto's rational mind began peaking back through. A train car was missing, with two more that had stains in them that he didn't want to think about. Behind them, the forest was filled with broken and likely still dying shinobi that he'd torn apart in moments. All at his hand, all in his rage.

If Naruto hadn't been shaking before with rage, he was now shaking with fear. A nausea filled him, and it took some very slow breaths for him to calm down enough to think. He'd be concerned with Han'ishiki being absent from commenting, but he figured that his subconscious was likely processing everything like he was. However, his rational mind was able to still piece something together.

"…should?" Naruto asked softly, slowly sitting back so that he could stare up at Sasuke. "Why did you say what you 'should' be afraid of?"

Sasuke snorted, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "You don't give yourself enough credit Naruto." Waving his hand behind him, a trace of a smile crossed his face. "Look at the _good_ you did."

This was a bit harder, as the carnage in the background had just seconds before been his major focus. With a bit of effort though, he was able to see what Sasuke meant. Kakashi and Sakura were still caring for those who were down, and more than a few people he'd thought were dead were getting back up. He hadn't saved everyone, no, but with his last stunt and the attack on the snowboarders he'd kept those helping from losing focus or being killed themselves. Glancing at Sasuke, he suddenly felt a bit sobered at the fact that it was Sasuke who was being the voice of hope in this situation, where weeks ago it was him who'd be doing so.

He'd gotten sloppy with how to put up walls and keep things buried.

"Naruto. Believe it or not, I trust you with my life." Sasuke said softly. In the back of his mind, he could hear his brother whispering about power and of the secrets of the Sharingan. However they were dull, lifeless, and further away then they'd ever been. He just didn't have it in him to care about his brother at the moment. Which was why Sasuke was willing to reveal his greatest secret to Naruto, and didn't feel any apprehension in doing so. "You're my best friend Naruto, kinda like a younger brother I never had or something."

Naruto was stunned into silence by this. Were he capable of processing thought, he might've tried checking for genjutsu or see if he'd gotten drunk because it all seemed too much like an illusion to be real. Thankfully he didn't, as it might've hurt Sasuke's pride and ruined a rather sensitive moment for the both of them. They both needed this moment, far more than either would've admitted if they'd been asked only a few months back.

"You know something else?" Sasuke continued, looking at the damaged train with a critical eye. "…with what you're able to do, I think I'd be more then happily behind you becoming a super powered monster like that again. Next time though, make sure you're doing it for the right reason."

Naruto nodded slowly, not noticing the way Sasuke flinched at his own words. For Naruto, they were words of wisdom, a reminder that he should be careful about why he drew on such malevolent power in the future.

For Sasuke his own words were heresy against everything he'd believed in before. Revenge was his life, it was his goal, it defined his very being. To kill his brother had been what had consumed him for the longest time.

"_You had more than one goal, remember?"_

Sasuke blinked, mulling that over. _"True, but I need to get stronger before I can fulfill that part."_

"_Oh please, you act like you're living on your own in the middle of the desert. There's a reason shinobi set up hidden villages; one of those reasons was to help protect the building up and expansion of clans that had once been weak in power."_

"…_okay, you and I are going to have to go over our history later Anko, because I don't remember that part."_ Sasuke sighed, running a hand through his hair in exasperation as the crazy woman laughed echoed as she let the bridge slide back to being 'distant' once more.

Naruto, seeing Sasuke had decided to think of something else, raised an eyebrow. "You think of something?"

"…no, just trying to figure out what to do next." Sasuke said, shaking his head slowly. "Well, on the plus side, we have an idea where they're going. And then we get to put your plan into action."

"Sweet!" Naruto said, trying to grin as he slowly pushed what had happened from his mind to focus on the now. "Alright, let's grab Koyuki-hime, and we can start explaining things so she doesn't run off on us again."

There was an awkward silence.

"…Sasuke, please tell me she didn't run away while I ran off to kill bad guys."

"She didn't run off while you ran off to kill bad guys."

"…can you tell me that something worse didn't happen?"

"Depends. Do you want me to tell the truth or lie?"

"Just, tell me the truth."

"The taijutsu board dude I fought used his extending arm to grab her and dragged her back to Dotou's ship."

"Oh…oh…oh." Naruto nodded slowly, before the rage of his plan having anther bump along the way broke through. "LOG DAMN IT ALL!"

x-x-x

Makkura was content. He'd been allowed his moment of freedom. Vengeance and long suppressed anger issues were unleashed with gusto, and now he was willing to sit back and let things happen like normal.

Unfortunately, the only being who he just couldn't see eye-to-eye with had found him before he could slip away.

**:: I should rend your head from your shoulders and nail it to the bars of Kyuubi's cage for what you just did. :: **Han'ishiki said, his voice calm and unwavering.

"Careful there brother, someone might just think you're taking after me if you keep talking like that." Makkura said, ignoring the feeling of his 'brother's' hand gripping tighter on his neck. "Aw, after seeing me for so long you just couldn't wait to give me a hug. Tragic."

**:: It wouldn't be for your sake. It would be because I want the Kyuubi to know that should anyone other than Naruto himself calls for the chakra he should keep the taint to himself. ::**

Makkura snorted. "And what if you wanted to use it. I know you're just dying to find out what it feels like to direct from the side seat rather than right behind."

**:: Cut the crap Makkura. I know what you just did, and I know what's going too happened. Do you realize the amount of things I'm going to need to focus on to circumvent another Aoi event? Embodiment of the subconscious mind or not, there are some things even I can't control. ::** Han'ishiki glared at Makkura, a knowing look in his eyes. **:: Like his nightmares…or his visions. ::**

"And thus, the reason you can't just kill me and be done with it." Makkura stated, still unaffected by Han'ishiki and his grip on him. "I am everything dark about Naruto, and yet without me…"

Han'ishiki narrowed his eyes, the thinly veiled threat caused him to growl. **:: I told you to cut the crap. ::**

"And I told you to be careful." Makkura stated flatly, finally gripping the hand Han'ishiki once had on his throat before easily peeling it off. "I'm the only me we need in here, go it?"

Han'ishiki hissed in pain, feeling Makkura's energy spike as he lowered his head slightly. **:: …yeah, I got it. Won't stop me from putting you back where you're supposed to be. ::**

"No need, I was just heading there myself. After all, a prison I allow myself to be in to mess with you is far more fun than being in freedom without you there." Makkura patted Han'ishiki on the cheek, slipping past him and waving to him as he slipped out. "Till next time he snaps."

Han'ishiki growled, taking a slow breath as his balance slowly regained his balance. He'd have to be more on guard; Makkura had managed rile him up far too quickly this time. He needed to train to resist that better.

Meanwhile, Makkura was having a different struggle. One of a far more delicate, and far more pressing nature. As he made his was to his 'cell', he felt the presence behind him. He knew which one of them it was, but he also knew that this one was the closest to destroying him as well. Han'ishiki couldn't touch him, Naruto needed him, but this…entity, could. It was also the one he knew that would be able to draw him out of Naruto the fastest if all seemed lost.

Almost immediately, the return became a race. He knew he wouldn't make it in time, but running from ones problems was part of what being pure darkness in his opinion. Well, running from _this_ problem; one of only two he'd consider for it, the others all involved far more unhealthy amounts of physical trauma and was not limited by the normal bounds of torture either. Everyone needs a hobby.

As he rounded the final corner, almost home free, he stopped dead in his tracks as the figure stood before him, likely having long since outrun him and cut him off. Sighing softly, he stared into their eyes as he readied himself to face the music.

"…what do you want?"

**x-x-x**

"What do I want?" Fubuki asked, uncertain how to answer the question seeing the situation. "What the hell do you mean 'what do I want'?! What the hell are you doing in our research center?!"

Zaku stared at her blankly, sitting in a chair near where several variants of her own flight pack rested. "I'm sitting down, what the hell does it look like I'm doing?"

Fubuki idly traced a finger across the kunai she had in her pouch, further curiosity the only reason she hadn't thrown it at him already. "How did you get in?"

"Broke in." Zaku stated plainly, as though it were the most natural thing for him to say. "By the way, you're going to need to tell your security team that they suck. I'd recommend torturing them in front of the next team to show them what failure looks like personally."

Fubuki nodded, mentally noting the suggestion to give to Dotou later. While not a common tactic for Yukigakure, it wasn't that bad an idea in her mind. Strange to think that the person she should be taking the head off of for trespassing was giving her good ideas, but she'd take the details of all this absurdity in stride for now. "And why did you break it?"

"Because I was waiting for you to get back and was bored."

That surprised her. He'd been waiting for her? She didn't bother resisting the smirk that crossed her face. "Oh? Does the little Oto genin have a little crush on me?"

"Chunin actually. And yes, I might." Zaku stated plainly, pushing himself to his feet and walking into the center of the room.

"I…you…what?" Fubuki sputtered for a second before steeling herself. "You can_not_ be serious."

"Why not?" Zaku asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion an interest. "We both hate being looked down on, we both have a hunger for power, and you're one of the few who I've willingly shown my arms power to and let live."

Fubuki winced at that, remembering only too well how that meeting had gone. Staring at him, she decided to see just how willing to follow through on this charade. "Alright, say I believe you. Why would you bother telling me?"

Zaku's eyes darkened, memories he'd made certain were burnt into his mind coming back clearly. "Because Dotou is in over his head. He's poked a demon, and this time the demon isn't on its home turf with people to call it off."

Fubuki's eyes widened, a chill running down her spine. "The blond brat."

"…so you've seen him." Zaku muttered, shaking his head slowly. "I pity whoever got away so that you could get out unscathed. I'm honestly amazed he didn't try blowing you up with that one attack…it's quite a sight to see. I'm sure Orochimaru-sama would be curious how it worked after he'd found a way to block it."

Fubuki looked him over, silently wondering if the blond shinobi had managed to harm the boy before her in any significant way. Quickly, her eyes feel to his arm. "Is he the one who took your arm?"

Zaku blinked, raising his arm slowly. "…no. I was unlucky enough to get paired against an Aburame in my first round in the finals of the Chunin Exam's. Bad matchup for me, seeing how his bugs were able to plug up the pipe in my arm. Air pressure built up…and there was nowhere else for it to go. Worse, I was using one of my bigger attacks."

Fubuki stared at his gloved hand, realizing that she truly knew little to nothing about the boy. He had kept to the shadows as much as his comrades, but was the most open and vocal of them. He was dark and edgy, but appeared to feel for the powerless…even if the feeling was only pity. Most perplexing and most annoying of all, was his damn right arm. She now knew that he used to have the hole in it like his left arm, which she'd almost felt firsthand in what it could do when it was unleashed right next to her face, but his right arm had blown a hole in her room with what appeared to be little effort and he'd simply said he still needed to learn to control it.

Finally, she allowed herself to give in to curiosity. "Can I see it?"

He stared at her for a moment, appraising her. With his skills in sound based techniques, he could hear the multiple variances in her tone; confusion, curiosity, and need. After dancing around her and leaving little sounds for her to follow she was now in the palm of his hand. With a smirk, he slowly removed the glove he wore followed by the cloak.

At first she wasn't sure what she was looking at. He was wearing a black sleeveless shirt beneath the snow cloak for whatever reason, the most likely being that they were still indoors. However, upon looking between his arms, there was a very noticeable difference. His left arm was normal, pale skin like the rest of him. His right arm though, was not.

From his shoulder down, the entire arm was wooden. Like a puppet from Sunagakure, each joint was meant to reveal just enough to give it the same range as a normal humans arm, as well as the same flexibility when it came to the elbow, wrists, and finger joints. Unlike a normal hand or arm though, there was more leeway in the directions they could bend, as well as the fact that it was quite likely it had been tampered with to allow for the more unique variety Otogakure was known for. In the center of his hand like with his left hand was a steel hole, but there were also a row of three more covered holes that ran up the back of his arm.

Zaku slowly rolled his shoulder, allowing her to get a good look. When she realized he was moving it all based on thought rather than some puppetry technique, her eyes widened further. "H-how are you…how _can_ you?"

"Easy. My boss is a genius like few others. Hell, I doubt anyone is able to do what he did for me." Zaku said with a smirk. Orochimaru had once been his savior, had given him everything, and after what should have been a failure he and Dosu were given another chance to prove themselves seen how they had shown that they were indeed loyal to him. "He gave me life when I would have died, he gave me power when I was weak, and then he gave me my arm back so I can blow my opponents to hell."

Fubuki blinked, not sure if she should be impressed yet or not. "Okay. And…how is that arm more special than your other?"

Zaku grinned, pulling his cloak over himself again and quickly slipped his glove back on. "Don't worry. When everything goes down…well, we'll see if you chose our side in the end or not."

Slipping past her, he smirked as he sensed her glance at him as he did so. He'd made sure to get her attention so she would follow them back. It was a daring, risky idea that required someone cunning, or perhaps brash and alluring in a unique sense. Even though he'd blatantly told her what he expected, it left the idea in her head, and with the fear of Konoha bearing down on them, she'd have to act soon or end up dead like any other.

His mission was going very smoothly if he did say so himself.

* * *

AN: Yep. Makkura…is a psycho. No painting a pretty picture or anything, with him channeling Kyuubi filled raging chakra through Naruto…you already read what happened. Jeez boy, what have you put away for him to let out? I mean, it's not like – oh wait there's that, but what about – ah yes, that'll show up soon, and then – yes, yes I'm going to have plenty of fun with that one.

…sorry. Word of Honor is going to have several key points finalized soon, and I'm quite excited to see what will happen. Point is don't piss off Naruto.

Sasuke didn't get a board yet...Naruto broke all the ones that the boarding team was using whether directly or indirectly, which means he's still gunning for it. He's also done something interesting; he's admitted Naruto is his best friend! What is this madness?! Is there and explanation!? OF COURSE! But later. Sooner then some, but still later.

Also yes, Zaku had a puppet arm. Who saw that coming, and who can guess what the holes are for? Hehehe, and Zaku hasn't even begun to explain why the holes should make you think. Mwahahaha!

Next time on Word of Honor; _The Light Shining In._ There is no hope for those imprisoned in the depths of Dotou's castle…or is there?


	50. The Light Shining In

I need to get a hobby or something...oh wait, that's what this is. Never mind.

Also, thanks to the people who are giving input on Naruto: Anime's Apart. It's really a lot of help. I may add another chapter with a query to know what kind of genera you all want it to be, but I'm still mulling that over. In the meantime, enjoy more story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the movie.

* * *

_Chapter 50: The Light Shining In_

Koyuki was silent as the Yuki shinobi lead her down to Dotou's dungeon. Her head was bowed as she thought over what he'd told her. While she'd been flippant and had for all intents and purposes lied straight to his face about her views on her position, she herself had been surprised to find that her prized possession was a fake. Nadare had seemed to know what was going on, which didn't appear to mean anything good for her as it meant that their skepticism of her had only increased. This was further apparent since she was taken here, where it was likely Dotou intended for her to rot.

After entering her cell, she slowly sat on the floor in silence. There was no one else around for her to talk to, and nothing but her thoughts to entertain her. Granted, her thoughts were far from entertaining right now, but it was better than nothing. She reviewed just how low she'd been dragged since coming here, and had to hold back from remembering too much to avoid a breakdown. Naruto wasn't here to save her this time.

Which brought her mind to the topic of the hour; Naruto. She'd thought little of him when they'd first met, she'd been surprised by his empathy and concern on the glacier, and when she'd doubted his skills as a shinobi…he'd crushed every belief she had about him. If anything, she was absolutely terrified of him now.

How had he done it? How had he held himself in check when she had rattled on about how he knew nothing about what she'd been through? He'd been so calm, and he'd tried to be patient with her. If she'd continued, would it have been her that his aggression would have been directed towards?

She shivered at that thought, not wanting to imagine being on the receiving end or _that_ at any point. Couldn't he have just been a normal shinobi, and just killed people in the shadows like she'd believed them to do? Why did he have to make a scene and crush a train car with his bare hands? What had angered him to the point that he –

Maliciously, she cut that thought off and buried her face in her dress. That pesky feeling was back, the one that made her vision swim and made her throat clench up in pain. She vaguely remembered what it was, but for her to feel sadness didn't seem possible. She was cold, heartless, but after seeing Sandayuu all but die in her arms she wasn't as sure anymore. Even worse, she imagined what Naruto must've been feeling.

The boy had told her in the tunnels that he'd do everything he could to save her, to help her stay alive. Her bruised ankle was proof that he wasn't just bluffing and throwing bravado around. He'd sincerely tried to protect her. With the kunai salvo that had been launched at her, he'd stood his ground in front of her and _caught_ each and every kunai they'd thrown. Like a shield given a blade, he'd torn though the shinobi and kept her safe, up until he'd been forced away by an ambush that left her wide open to being captured.

And yet he'd also had a haunted look, one that told her that he'd likely killed before, and was still upset about it. How had he managed to throw that off when he'd gone after the people who attacked them? He'd been angry, but to the point that he'd all but slaughtered – no, he'd done even that – to the Yuki shinobi, gave her reason to pause.

Naruto was an enigma. She couldn't understand him, and now she never would. Staring up at the cold stone of the dungeon, she felt the cold of her tears rolling down her face as she waited.

"…if he's smart, he won't save me." She whispered, burying her face in her dress once more. She already believed he would come for her, but the last dredges of her old mindset fought for their place.

There was no spring in snow…but Naruto was a summer's heat that was rapidly melting the ice that covered that belief.

**x-x-x**

Dotou was a patient man. He was a man with more logical rationing then some people gave him credit for, and a ruthlessness to match. There was power behind him, behind his shinobi, and for those who dealt with him they knew that he was not a man to be double crossed or angered. Yes, such a man as this was one that was a danger to friend or foe, and stood proudly against the winds of every rebellion against him.

Which was why his elite team was shocked to find the man shaking upon his return from speaking with Koyuki.

They all knew it wasn't from talking to the woman, she was barely a pushover for any of them, Dotou included. No, it was the _creature_ that they'd caught a glimpse of before the blimp had managed to get them far enough away. Fubuki was still shaking herself when she wasn't sitting away from the others in deep thought. Her near death experience with the boy must have shaken her as well.

None of them knew what had happened. They'd planned for the rebellion's ambush carefully, knowing that even with the shinobi they shouldn't have had the advantage they _wanted_ since they weren't cloak-and-dagger about their beliefs. They wanted to be loud and proud when they took back their home, which is part of why they hadn't hired from any other shinobi village. Other than the fact that the Yuki shinobi would have quickly slaughtered them once they'd gotten back, but that was beside the point.

And then he'd shown up. He was the wild card of the shinobi that had come, and they'd determined that he was likely a defensive support type. It was supposed to be simple. And then he'd launched a train car off the cliff with his bare hands.

"…what did you miss?" Dotou said, staring at Mizore and Nadare with darkened eyes. He was terrified, and that angered him. He was the leader of a hidden village, even a minor one, and now he was being threatened by a _child_ from another village. This had to be changed, now.

"He was an unknown factor. We…had nothing that stated these skills." Nadare said slowly, knowing he needed to choose his words carefully least his head was the one on the chopping block.

"Clearly. However, I need you to fix this. Yesterday." Dotou growled.

Mizore and Nadare nodded, quickly leaving. Fubuki however, stayed behind and slowly approached him. "…sir. What of the Oto shinobi? Could we not, have them prove the bond of their alliance?"

Dotou's scowl deepened as he slowly stood and began to approach her. "…are you questioning my methods?"

Fubuki winced, standing her ground as she attempted to continue. "They are our allies now, and yet they will be the ones to benefit soonest. With all due respect, how are we to trust them when they are the only –"

Fubuki's words were cut off as Dotou gripped her throat and pulled her close so their eyes were staring into one another. "You're thinking correctly, but you ask me to show weakness. Wanting me to call them into question while they're still in the castle. You are not thinking of the long term, Fubuki."

Choking as she struggled for breath, she grit her teeth as her voice hissed out. "I'm sorry sir, I wasn't thinking. Forgive me…"

Dotou took slow breaths, releasing her with a push so that she stumbled back. "Go. Let them know that our deal is done and…thank them for their deal. I look forward to seeing what Orochimaru will send me."

Fubuki nodded, rubbing her throat as she made her way to where she knew the Oto shinobi were. Dotou slowly stepped back, slipping into his chair as he tried to calm himself down. He could wait for the boy to show up again. And then, he'd be ready.

"Bring me my armor. I have to prepare for our…expected guests."

**x-x-x**

Three figures stood on top of a cliff side, staring down at the castle with an appraising look. Two seemed uncertain, while the third had uncontained amounts of frustration that flittered across his face. Tapping his foot on the snow, the third figure crossed his arms and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he slowly turned to the other two and nodded. They knew what their parts were, and they knew that he'd give them the signal.

Racing down the snow at the signal, the two bounded and hopped from rock to rock as they made their way towards the small group of Yuki shinobi that patrolled the outer ring of the castles defense. Silent, yet ever dangerous, the launched themselves at the two that came into their range. Without any more sound then the impact of their bodies into deep snow, they pinned them face down in the snow and knocked them out. As easy as it would've been to kill them, they needed bloodless disguises.

Dragging them into the shadows, their third member dropped next to them and slowly made his way towards the castle. His job was most certainly the most difficult, but then it was his plan. He knew it was the more difficult position to give them, and he knew that he was also the only one of them to pull it off in time.

Before he could get too far, he heard his teammate quickly call to him. "Be careful Naruto."

Naruto glanced back, giving them a sly smile before nodding. It wasn't the bright sunshine smile that he gave people so they knew he was happy; it was a smile that said 'I'm up to something, be very afraid.' Turning back to the castle, he raced down the mountain, quiet as the snow as he quickly made his way to the castle.

Sneaking into the building was child's play for him, seeing how the Hokage's Tower had been more guarded, and none of the shinobi here were quite as much of a match as the chunin he'd outrun on more than a few occasions. Anbu caught him faster than he would have liked when they were brought in, but chunin were just so easy to get by sometimes. The Yuki shinobi had _no_ idea how much trouble was coming their way.

Getting to a nice, quiet location, Naruto slowly glanced around to make sure he was alone. Smirking, he crossed his arms and made his trademark seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)."

A group of six shadow clone popped into existence, each one grinning as they glanced at him. Nodding to each of them, they darted off to where they were needed. Naruto himself, continued into the castle, looking around for one thing in particular.

"If I were a super-rich bad guy, where would I hide my prisoners?" Naruto muttered as he tried to think of how he'd plan it if he were Dotou. "…well first of all, I wouldn't have a dungeon, I'd have something more comfy. My prisoners would never see it coming. And then, a ramen pool." Wiping a small bit of drool, he sighed. "A man can dream."

Getting to a point at least several halls down, Naruto created more shadow clones. Sending them off, he paused as he heard someone coming. Leaping upwards onto the ceiling, he kept to the shadows as he waited. Soon, several guards walked down the hall, idly chatting with one another.

"You know, this whole mission is making me really nervous." One said, rubbing his arm as he attempted to calm himself down.

"Yeah, Dotou's been extra snappy now. Something about the Konoha team seems to have spooked him." The second man said. He glanced back, shaking his head before he glanced to his partner. "At least we have Koyuki-hime on our side now. She's a lot calmer then I thought she'd be for a prisoner. Then again, one team of four shinobi isn't going to stand against an entire village."

Naruto rolled his eyes, making his way towards where he'd seen the man had glanced. _"One team of shinobi may not, but a team with one that can become a one man army might."_

Making shadow clones as he went, and sending them across the ceilings, he soon found the entrance that went further down. Figuring that his 'bad guy senses' were tingling, he went further down. Shockingly, Dotou spared no expense on the large expanse of a dungeon. Whistling softly, he shook his head and looked around.

"Now, if I was hiding a captured princess, where would I do it?"

**x-x-x**

"Now, if I were a board, where would I be?"

"Sasuke, you're starting to worry me." Sakura said with a nervous laugh, not sure what to think of Sasuke's recent obsession.

Sasuke wasn't all that worried about her confusion, his eyes looking around casually as he tried to take in everything. He already knew that their job was, but Naruto had let him have free reign over anything they picked up, and he was going to take full advantage of that. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

"Uh, no you aren't." Sakura said, eying him warily. "You've been obsessing with that thing since we got here, and…I can't figure out why."

"Isn't it obvious?"

"No!" Sakura hissed, trying to keep her voice down to prevent herself from getting to loud so that they wouldn't be caught.

Sasuke paused, glancing to her with a raised eyebrow for a second. Seeing that she was a bit stressed out from being in enemy territory and confused by what he was doing, he sighed. "Alright, it's because it's an advantage no one else can get."

Sakura perked up, surprised that her pressing had finally garnered a result. Maybe a bit more pressing could get her the full reason. "What kind of advantage are you talking about?"

"The kind where even if you copied me I could still mess with you using the same tricks." Sasuke smirked, the ideas playing in his head. "Imagine, me with the Sharingan, on a board, moving really fast around my enemies and then racing around them laughing all the way."

Sakura tried to imagine that image, but for some reason the imagery of Sasuke laughing was a bit more difficult then she thought. It made her a bit happier that she'd gotten over her crush on him a month or so ago with that thought, but then again… "What in the world gave you that idea?"

"Lee." Sasuke said, smirking at her confused expression. "He was so fast in his fight with Gaara, I couldn't even keep up. Then, when I thought about it, it made me realize that if I can out speed my opponent I can have the advantage. Using a board means that I have the advantage as long as they don't have one, which means that I can dance around and take my opponent out without any problems."

There was a small silence between them as Sakura processed his thinking. In a way it made sense. Sasuke's Sharingan gave him advantage against any attack while at high speeds, and a board would mean he could in fact get those high speeds. However, she could see the glaring flaw with his plan. "And what about when you're away from snow?"

"There's always water."

"And then?"

"…"

Sakura sighed, shaking her head in exasperation. Looking around, she realized that there was two potential routes to their target. "Alright, let's split up here. You have your radio?" Sasuke nodded. "When you get there let me know. I'll keep my line open and will tell you when I get there, or to hear from you when you find it."

Sasuke glanced at her, raising an eyebrow in amusement. A part of him thought it was interesting to hear Sakura giving him commands, and taking charge of the situation. The other part of him was thinking she was 'adorable' for thinking she was even able to give him orders that he _had_ to follow. He'd blame Anko for that, but he agreed with that thinking regardless.

With Sakura giving him a nod, she raced off down her direction. Sasuke, sighing softly, began making is way down the halls. "Now…where in the _hell_ are the boards at damn it?"

**x-x-x**

Koyuki sighed softly, having long since run out of tears to cry as she curled in a corner. Sighing, she pressed her cheek against the stone, letting the cold creep across her cheek as time passed. Once more, her mind went to the woods, wanting to let herself go, to sleep an endless sleep.

And yet something stopped her. She was unable to close her eyes and slip away, feeling a sharper focus coming over her the more she tried to sleep. An image of Naruto's haunted eyes stared into every time she closed her eyes, shifting quickly to the eyes of the hero who had torn through foes for her. She'd had too much time to think about it to think he was anything less than a hero for what he'd done to fight for her. He'd done horrific things yes, but it had been done as he'd protected her from people who were clearly more than willing to do even worse things should they be required to use such force to get the information out of her in that manner.

Feeling something shift around her, she lifted her head up and glanced at the bars. On the other side, the shinobi who'd been patrolling had paused, staring in at her. She could tell that he was thinking of something, but she remained silent. She would not give in, and she would not allow him the satisfaction of her 'breaking' first.

She would survive. She could hold out until she needed to. And if necessary, she could act through whatever she needed to.

"You should never have come back." The shinobi said sharply, his eyes cold as the ice around them.

She'd expected a response like that, but the idea of someone thinking that confused her still. "Why? Did I do something as a child to anger you?"

The man flinched slightly at her remark, her words reminding him that she had been little more than a child when the rebellion had taken place. Her views on what her father had been doing may have been skewed by the fact that he was her father, but that did not make her responsible for what he chose to do. Regardless though, he _was_ his daughter still, and that made her a threat in the making. "You have his ideals. The fact that you are alive means that chance could be coming our way, and after all that Dotou-sama has done in our favor to bring us to the point where we can actually be considered more than just a minor village that other villages smile at and pat on the head for our childishness. We are not children. We are very much the warriors and skilled soldiers that we've fought to prove ourselves as. Whether with chakra armor, or with the weapons we've developed, as well as our new alliances –"

"Alliance? Since when has Yukigakure felt the need for any sort of alliance?" Koyuki muttered, turning her head from him and sighing. "So proud of themselves, so arrogant. Yet another reason both my otou-san and Dotou have been fools."

"You!" The man shouted, almost slamming his fists against the bars before he flinched and drew back. "You dare make a mockery of Dotou-sama, to make it seem that you are their better in some way. Foolish. Only someone who had no clue to our suffering as a small village would think something so naïve."

"Or she's just smarter then you."

The man's eyes widened for a second before he was shoved roughly against the bars. Koyuki flinched when the man shouted in pain from the electricity tag that was attached to the bars. When he was leaned back for a second, she thought it was over. As he coughed, revealing himself to be rather conscious, he was slammed into the bars again before he was dropped like a sack of potatoes.

Standing behind him, looking somewhat amused, was Naruto. To her, it was like he'd stepped out of a bolt of light from the sparking electricity that had run across the bars and materialized before her. It couldn't have been possible, it shouldn't have been possible, and yet even if it wasn't she let herself believe it because it made her feel less helpless.

Shaking his head at the sight of her, Naruto peaked at her through half lidded eyes. "Man, did you know you can be really hard to find when you want to be? I had to rely on some special techniques to find where you were at, and then this guy was harassing you. Sorry I was late. We wouldn't have had this problem if I'd gotten here earlier."

Koyuki, feeling like she was in a scene from her own movie, meanly shook her head in return. "You have a very poor sense of timing yourself, you know that? I was almost ready to think you'd left me here."

"What really?" Naruto asked, pulling off the tag and opening the gate for her to exit. "And what gave you that idea?"

"Oh you know. I was being rather annoying what with me disappearing on you all the time." Koyuki said, rolling with the improve 'script'.

"Yeah, but now I know how to find you. It'd be dumb of me to get angry at you for that." Naruto said, waving her off as she stepped out. "Plus, you're nice company when you're still around to talk to."

Koyuki couldn't believe this boy. One moment he was being rather violent and knocking people around, and the next she swore he was reading lines with her from a script. Inwardly, she thought about getting her manager to hire Naruto for a mission doing acting like this. It was rather relaxing, and it allowed her to put up her inner defenses easier with the witty banter being closer to her normally icy nature.

"Alright, now that I've got you, Kakashi-sensei should be ready to help finish the job and get you out of here." Naruto said, slipping back into a more business-mode.

Koyuki's eyes narrowed, several thoughts flitting through her mind as a thought crossed her mind. Quickly grabbing his arm, she pulled him in another direction. "Here, I remember how I got here. I'll help lead us out."

"Eh? You sure about that?" Naruto asked, following after her rather than fight her. He was surprised to hear that she'd remembered her way through. Considering how complacent she'd seemed when the shinobi had shown up, it was likely she hadn't really been knocked out or distracted in any way to keep her from missing details like that.

"Positive." Koyuki said, remembering her way to Dotou's chambers. It was time she step up and out of the shadows. It was her turn to show that she wasn't going to take this laying down.

It was her turn to be a light for her people.

**x-x-x**

"I swear I don't know!"

"Don't you lie to me! Do I look like the sort of person to lie to?!"

"Please don't kill me, I swear I'm just a lacky…they'd never even let me _near_ the train for crying out loud!"

There was a short bit of silence as the two stared at one another. With a small nod, the second man slowly spoke.

"…I believe you."

When the first man heard this though, he tensed up and began trying to think of anything he could. This man had been coming after him with a vengeance, and he was certain that he was likely going to end up dying because he didn't know what the man wanted. However, he did have one thing that may let him live a short while longer. "I-I don't know where it's at, but I do know where our R and D is."

"Research and Development? Why would they be there?"

The shaking slowly lowering as he realized that the other man wasn't going to kill him outright, he explained. "The seals and methods we use in improving everything is there. From the train, to the blimp, to other items, the seals and methods are tampered with and tested to get them to work to their best, as well as new ideas getting put to the test."

"And this is…?"

"Down the hall, second left, third door." Whimpering, he glanced down and back up. "Can you…not?"

The second man hummed softly, mulling it over. Leaning back with the kuani lowering from the man's lower body, he smiled in a rather snake-like manner. Before the man could even finish his sigh of relief, the ring end of the kunai had already smacked against his forehead and knocked him out.

Slowly twirling the kunai as he walked away from the downed man, Sasuke shook his head. "Really, R and D? I'm looking for the train damn it, not…"

Sasuke paused, going over everything he'd just said once more in his head. "…well, I guess I can peak in there…just for a bit. I mean, there have to be scientists that can point me in the right direction. And if they don't, I can persuade them too."

"_I told you that'd work."_

"Yeah, yeah, I know you did." Sasuke muttered, not sure what he thought about Anko's suggested method of getting information. Surprisingly, the man had immediately began cooperating despite how he'd been rather resistant to his pressing before. It was amazing what a man would do to protect his future offspring, even before they had kids.

A shame so many people aim for said part.

"_You know you owe me something when you come back."_ Anko's voice purred from across the seal, sending a chill up his spine. _"Get me something nice, 'kay?"_

"…yeah." He said softly, shivering slightly. He wasn't sure, but for some reason he was rather certain that there was a hidden threat beneath her words. It was more of a command, with a hint of pain should he fail. Luckily he was heading towards R&D already, so he might as well check it out to see what all he might be able to find for her.

Opening the door to the room, he was surprised to find that the room was empty save for one person tinkering away in the corner of the room. His eyes glanced over the set of items, surprised to find that there was actually a much larger variety then he'd initially expected from Yukigakure. There were balls of ice that were precariously positioned in dispensers, half made chakra armor with notes scattered about, notes and ideas for the blimp and train to be given armor and random looking weapons, and things he couldn't even begin to identify.

Glancing at some of the notes, he felt a curiosity from Anko and smirked. Quickly grabbing the documents left out, he slipped them into his bag to look through later. Feeling a sudden wave of pleasure, Sasuke shivered and made a note of that. He'd have to look into that later.

Seeing the man in the corner was rather busy with his project, an idea came to mind. Putting his hands together, he grinned and silently thanked Ebisu for having his basics improved during the Chunin Exams. Using a simple Henge (Transformation), he walked over to the man disguised as a member of Yukigakure and cleared his throat.

The poor man yelped, falling over and whipping around to face Sasuke. Seeing who it was, he scratched his head nervously and quickly picked himself up. "Sorry about that. I wasn't expecting company. How can I assist you shinobi-san?"

"I was sent here to get a board." Sasuke said curtly. There would be no preamble, no foreplay, he was getting his board and he was getting it now. Nothing would stop him!

"Ah, I'm afraid we're out."

"…eh?"

Unless that happened.

The scientist sighed, pushing a strange pair of goggles onto his forehead. "Well, Dotou sent out a board team earlier, so we gave them all boards. I guess you were given a new mission then?"

"Yeah. I…uh, I'm scouting." Sasuke said. When the man turned in surprise, he gave the man a knowing look. "I'm sure you understand."

"Oh? Oh!" The man nodded, thinking Sasuke was making a play on words and saying 'you don't need to know' in a roundabout way. The man nodded, turning to his project and mulled something over. "…well…do you need it now? I mean, if you are I…might have something."

Sasuke's interest was piqued, and he made a 'go on' motion. Seeing he had the go ahead, the man stumbled to a closet behind him. Pulling out a scroll, he pulled it open and unsealed a couple of boards. Each one was different, clearly built with different things in mind. One was wider than the others, but had a shorter nose and was likely meant for something like short speed but wide turns. The next was covered in seals, to the point Sasuke couldn't help but question how the thing didn't stand out in the snow as anything more than a black streak on the ground; this did make it harder to classify what it did, but with all those seals he was certain it was something that was likely nasty. A third was practically a stick, and was actually broken; it was likely that it was built for speed and someone hadn't been able to handle said speed. Sasuke almost felt sorry for the boards before him. They were all carefully manufactured, carefully crafted, and yet they were unable to see the light of epic battles due to some defect that no one else could handle.

The final board though, looked promising. It was covered in seals, but was not covered in an obscene amount. The build of the board was sleek, with more than enough room for an average man's feet to rest comfortably, although if they were to large they might go over a bit. The length was less than all except the first, making it come up to perhaps just under his ribs; when he was older he figured it might get up to his hips if he was lucky with his growth spurt. It was built more for an average man then someone like the large man he'd fought recently. It wasn't a premium 'for him only' build, but it looked like it'd work.

Picking it up, he looked it over critically. "What's wrong with this one?"

"Ah, that one." The man said, a hint of fondness in his voice. "This was one of my favorite to build. The seals were made to channel chakra to allow for a variety of options. There's several different options, but…I wouldn't take it."

"Oh? Why not?" Sasuke asked, staring at the man as his hands traced the seals slowly.

"Well, it's fast." Glancing down at the 'stick' he chuckled softly. "Not impossibly fast, but fast enough to give a man tunnel vision and get them killed. You can't move out of the way of attacks when you only have seconds to see and dodge it. You'd have to be insane to even think –"

"Dotou-sama will be very pleased that I'll be able to continue on my job." Sasuke said, standing with the board in hand. "Do you have…any notes on how to take care of it?"

"Wh- o-of course!" he all but shouted, grabbing a pamphlet and handing it to Sasuke. "But, why…?"

Sasuke gave him a deadpanned look. "Do you really think I'm going to go back to Dotou and tell him I couldn't even fail the mission by dying because I couldn't leave the castle? I'll take my chances with an inanimate object thank you very much."

The man shivered. Sasuke inwardly pat himself on the back on the quick thinking, grateful that Dotou was clearly an oppressing leader. "Yeah. Considering the fact he outfitted himself just a while ago, I'd be even more afraid."

That made Sasuke pause. Slowly turning back around, he kept his tone as even as he could. "Come again?"

The man covered his mouth, eyes wide as he flailed his arms in terror. "Please don't tell anyone I said that! I'd get in so much trouble if –"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he snapped at the man to cut off his fear. "To late for that. Explain yourself, and I'll see if I won't tell others."

Swallowing nervously, he man wrung his hands together. "Well…Dotou-sama has had some shinobi training. Not much, but for a Daimyo it's really rather impressive. And with the chakra armor, which gives a boost to his jutsu and protects him from genjutsu, he'd a force to be reckoned with. And since it's the newest model…I'm almost afraid for the Konoha shinobi if they choose to come after him."

Sasuke nodded slowly, realizing that suddenly they had a slight problem. Preparing to leave, he paused and glanced at the man one last time. He'd gotten a lot from him, and he almost felt bad about it. But then again, one last question shouldn't hurt him too much.

"Just so you know, I get a bit turned around in this castle…so can you give me directions to the train from here?"

* * *

AN: Yes, yes indeed, Sasuke got his board. And the best part, is that he explained why he wanted it right before. Was debating on later or not, but then I realized this is the only scene where they're still in the castle, so I knew that if I didn't, Sasuke wouldn't get it unless it was Mizore's…and it's freaking Mizore's. He's HUGE. Sasuke would never be able to use it properly. This one though…heh, ehehehe, ehehehehehehe~

It's gonna be a great day.

Also, because miscellaneous info is fun, when I was writing Koyuki's scenes, I played "I Need A Hero" (you know, from Shrek 2) on repeat because I swear that's partly what I've seen as Koyuki's current mindset with all Naruto's been doing. Plus, it's a nice song, by far one of my fave's.

Welp, enjoy the upload and until next time! Speaking of~

Next time on Word of Honor; _Who Dares Wins_. It's a trap, but who's is it? And more importantly, when they leave the castle, how will things go down? Tune in to see!


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